President Ma Ying-jeou met with Korean National Commission for UNESCO Vice Chairperson Dr. Kyungsook Lee on the morning of March 2 at the Presidential Office. Dr. Lee is also the former chairwoman of the Korean presidential transition committee. President Ma, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), extended a cordial welcome to Dr. Lee on her visit to Taiwan.
President Ma commented that Dr. Lee is an extremely eminent educator in Korea. In addition to having made a name for herself in promoting various international activities, she serves as the second in charge in Korean National Commission for UNESCO, he said.
The president furthermore said that Dr. Lee served as the President of Sookmyung Women’s University for 14 years, and that she has a wealth of experience in the academic community. The president expressed his confidence that this visit by Dr. Lee will help to increase academic and cultural interactions between the two countries.
In discussing the current economic difficulties facing the world, President Ma commented that Taiwan relies on exports for 64% of its GDP. As such, Taiwan’s economic growth is being greatly impacted by the downturn in the world economy. The government here is working to introduce a number of economic stimulus measures designed to harness the power of the government and the private sector in an effort to jointly overcome the challenges being faced.
Dr. Lee expressed her gratitude to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with her. She added that outstanding leadership abilities and foresight are extremely important characteristics for a nation’s leader. Dr. Lee said President Ma displays these qualities and that the people of Taiwan are fortunate to have him as their leader. With respect to the global economic recession, Dr. Lee expressed her hopes that the excellent leaders of Korea and Taiwan will be able to help their respective countries get through the present difficulties.