President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of October 2 at the Presidential Office met with Korean Mission in Taipei Representative Oh Sangsik. Mr. Oh will soon complete his term and will return to the Republic of Korea. In addition to praising Representative Oh for his contributions to adding depth to relations between the two countries during his tenure here, President Ma expressed his best wishes to Mr. Oh after he returns to South Korea.
President Ma commented that relations between Taiwan and Korea are quite close. Last year, bilateral trade hit US$23 billion, with Korea enjoying a trade surplus with Taiwan amounting to over US$7 billion. In addition, each nation is the fifth largest trading partner of the other. Moreover, since the resumption of direct flights between the two countries as well as the visa-free courtesies provided by each side, the number of tourists from each country visiting the other has posted consistent growth. Last year, some 680,000 visits were made by nationals of the two countries to the other, he said. President Ma said that the two countries have a long history of friendship, adding that he trusts in the future that bilateral relations will continue to develop based on the existing foundation.
President Ma said that economic and trade consultations between the two countries, which had been suspended for over 10 years, were resumed during Representative Oh's tenure. He also expressed his desire to see these consultations continue and even for the level of officials participating in them to be raised to a higher level. President Ma said that since taking office, he has done his utmost to reduce tension in cross-strait relations. He also has hoped to expand Taiwan's presence in the international community, he said. The improvement in relations between Taiwan and Mainland China is also beneficial to regional peace and stability, he said. The president noted that relations between Korea and Mainland China have become increasingly close in recent years. As a result, the end to saber rattling between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait helps pave the way for a further strengthening of ties between Korea and Taiwan. Mainland China is unlikely to stand in the way of closer relations between Taipei and Seoul, he said.
President Ma said that the people of Taiwan and Korea have a good impression of each other and maintain close interaction. Korea has over 90 universities that maintain cooperative relationships with Taiwan universities. The president noted that the new representative of the Korean Mission in Taipei studied in Taiwan for a number of years. He said that he hopes that amid this friendly atmosphere, relations between the two countries in the future will become even more stable.
Representative Oh thanked President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. He said that he has made many friends during his stay in here and he thoroughly enjoyed the time during which he was stationed in Taiwan.
Representative Oh was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrew Li-Yan Hsia to the Presidential Office in the afternoon to bid farewell to President Ma.