Embassy of the Republic of Korea to New Zealand

안녕하십니까
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa
Good evening

Ambassador Fearnley, Mr. Harvey, and distinguished guests from NZTE, KOTRA, KIEP, and the business community.

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you to the New Zealand-Korea FTA Roadshow Reception.

I take this opportunity to especially thank MFAT, NZTE & KOTRA for their work in organising this roadshow and their willingness to work together with the Korean Embassy. This roadshow is meaningful in that it symbolizes two countries’ joint efforts to see the successful implementation of the FTA.

I would like to thank today's presenters for such an informative and insightful presentation.

[presenter 1, then comment about what was discussed]
[presenter 2, then comment about what was discussed]
[presenter 3, then comment about what was discussed]
I am excited to hear about all opportunities that will come about as a result of the Korea-New Zealand FTA because I have a very strong attachment to New Zealand. The FTA negotiation commenced in 2009 and I led the Korean team in the first round when we met in Seoul in June that year. We then had the second round of talks in September in Wellington.

I still have vivid memory of the blue ocean that I saw through the window on Air New Zealand. I thought that Kiwis are privileged to live in such a pristine environment. This image remains with me today.


The beauty of New Zealand was equalled by your warmth and hospitality. My negotiation team was welcomed at MFAT in Wellington with a Powh[f]iri (Maori welcome ceremony). I have never forgotten this unique Haka and Hongi experience.

Both negotiation teams were singing Pokarekare Ana that Kiwi soldiers passed on to Koreans during Korean War. I think this helped us form a deeper understanding of each other. This was a great start.

It took us five and a half years to conclude negotiations. The negotiations were not easy. Leaders of both countries were actively engaged and advised the negotiators to think outside the box. Now we achieved it. I hope that the remaining procedures will be smoothly completed with such efforts in mind.

As a high-quality and comprehensive agreement, the Korea New Zealand FTA provides a new beginning to expand beyond just trade and investment to other areas of cooperation. With its unique cooperation mechanism put in place, the Korea New Zealand FTA will also enhance and elevate our relationship. We are a step closer to becoming genuine partners. This all started when we cooperated under the Colombo Plan scheme and ran a New Zealand-Korea dairy farm at Pyongtaek in 1960s and 70s.

To be appointed as Ambassador to New Zealand and return here at this time is very exciting for me. Not only am I keen to encourage increasing bilateral trade and investment, but also I want to help promote greater people-to-people exchange. A good example may be Lydia Ko, a hybrid of Korean DNA and Kiwi skills. I believe that we will see more like Lydia Ko.

I want to see more Kiwis and Koreans singing together, and sharing each other’s culture. I want to see more young Koreans visiting and working in New Zealand and vice versa taking full advantage of the temporary employment scheme in the FTA.
I want to see more Koreans cheering the all blacks and more Kiwis wearing Red Devils(붉은 악마), Korean football team supporters, T-shirts and enjoying K-culture such as Psy's amusing Gangnam style. Believe it or not, Koreans do play rugby, even though we are invisible on the world stage. Maybe this would change we had Richie McCaw on our team!

To conclude, this evening is very rewarding. I am excited to see the FTA bring tangible results. We will see more Kiwis to drive Korean cars and use Korean electronic products, more Koreans to enjoy NZ meat, dairy and horticulture products, and strong investment flow in the years to come.
I thank you very much.