President Chen Shui-bian on January 25 met with Former President of the Republic of Korea Kim Young Sam. President Chen extended his warm welcome and gratitude to Former President Kim on his fourth visit to Taiwan on behalf of the ROC (Taiwan) government and Taiwan's 23 million people.
President Chen expressed his appreciation to Former President Kim for attending the preparatory conference of the Global Forum on New Democracies. He noted that this is Former President Kim's fourth visit to Taiwan since 2000, which indicates Former President Kim's support of Taiwan and friendship to the Taiwan people. President Chen praised Former President Kim's achievements in the Korean political arena, noting that he is one of the elders in South Korea's democracy movement. He was elected to the first of his nine terms in the National Assembly when he was only 26 years old, setting records both for becoming the youngest assemblyman and also the most senior in his final term. In 1992, he was elected as the 14th President of the Republic of Korea, marking a new page in civilian government for that nation. Upon the completion of his term, Former President Kim assisted in the peaceful transfer of political power.
President Chen also lauded Former President Kim for his selection of people to serve in his government. The new Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, served as foreign minister during his administration. The president asked that Former President Kim offer his congratulations to Secretary-General Ban on his behalf, also saying that he hopes that Secretary-General Ban will assist Taiwan in participating in UN-related affairs.
President Chen noted the close commercial and trade ties between the two countries. Bilateral trade in 2005 reached US$18.78 billion, and this amount is expected to hit about US$21 billion in 2006. Korea enjoys a trade surplus of US$7.6 billion with Taiwan. It is Taiwan's fifth largest trading partner, fourth largest source of imports and sixth largest export market. In addition, 530,000 visits were made by people between the two countries in 2005, with this expected to surpass 600,000 visits in 2006.
President Chen expressed his concern about the Republic of Korea's decision to stamp "China, Taiwan" on the visas granted to Taiwan students studying in South Korea. He said he believes this does not reflect the actual situation, since Taiwan is Taiwan and China is China. He said "China, Taiwan" leads to misconceptions that Taiwan is a part of the People's Republic of China. President Chen added that even the United States, which abides by a so-called "One China Policy," notes "Taiwan" as the nationality of Taiwanese receiving visas to the US, not "China, Taiwan." President Chen said he hopes Former President Kim will help bring attention to this issue in order to prevent any unnecessary misunderstandings and avoid any impact to the friendship between the two countries.
Former President Kim was accompanied by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Chang Siao-yue and Korean Mission in Taipei Representative Oh Sangsik to meet President Chen at the Presidential Building. Presidential Secretary-General Mark Chen was also in attendance.