President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of March 12 with Seoul Taipei Club Chairman Baik Yong-Ki and Mrs. Baik. The president congratulated Chairman Baik on being awarded a Congressional Diplomacy Honorary Medal of the Legislative Yuan by the ROC Legislative Yuan and the Friendship Medal of Diplomacy by the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also expressed his hopes for a continued increase in interaction and cooperation between Taiwan and Korea in the areas of economic and trade ties, culture, education, and tourism.
In remarks, the president noted that Chairman Baik is a charter member of the Seoul Taipei Club. Over the past 10 years, he said, Chairman Baik has spared no effort in promoting interaction between the two nations, and is thus well deserving of the two medals that he is receiving. In addition, the president expressed his deepest appreciation to Chairman Baik for his efforts in arranging for Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-Pyng (王金平) to travel to Korea at the end of last year to receive the first SKKU Distinguished Fellow award from Sungkyunkwan University , and for helping to pave the way for Legislative Yuan President Wang to lead a delegation of legislators to attend the inauguration ceremonies and other activities for Korea's 18th-term President Park Geun-hye .
President Ma stated that when the Asian financial crisis swept through the region 15 years ago, even though Korea experienced serious effects from the crisis, that nation's people pulled together and helped Korea's economy recover, he said. Korea's performance in many areas has been outstanding, the president commented. In June of 2012, he pointed out, Korea's per capita national income exceeded US$20,000 and its total population reached 50 million, enabling Korea to join the so-called "20-50 Club" and become a developed nation. The president expressed his admiration for Korea in this regard.
With respect to bilateral relations, President Ma stressed that Taiwan and Korea maintain close economic and trade dealings. In 2012, bilateral trade between the two countries reached US$26.9 billion, and Korea was Taiwan's sixth largest trading partner while Taiwan was Korea's ninth largest. As for interaction in education, President Ma noted, presently 98 universities in Taiwan and 185 universities in Korea have inked sister school relationships, and there are over 400 cooperative agreements and projects. Furthermore, direct flights between Taipei's Songshan Airport and Seoul's Gimpo International Airport formally commenced in April of 2012, completing the so-called "Northeast Asia Golden Aviation Loop." Meanwhile, the president commented, on July 1 last year Taiwan and Korea also signed an agreement enabling visa-free travel between the two countries for stays of 90 days, up from the previous 30 days. Two-way travel between Taiwan and Korea subsequently increased last year to nearly 800,000 visits, up from 660,000 in 2011, the president stated, pointing out that this demonstrates the closeness of interaction between the people of both sides.
President Ma also mentioned that Korean President Park has unveiled policies that include 12-year compulsory education, childcare and healthcare subsidies, and annuities for senior citizens. She has also expressed a desire for greater cooperation between Korea's big chaebols and its small- and medium-sized enterprises in an effort to create a second "Miracle of the Han River," he said. President Ma explained to Chairman Baik that Taiwan's economy is dominated by small- and medium-sized enterprises, with these firms accounting for 98% of Taiwan's total number of enterprises. Even though small- and medium-sized enterprises have a high degree of adaptability in the marketplace, the government here also intends to refer to the business model of Korea's chaebols so that the two countries can learn from each other and share their developmental experiences.
Lastly, President Ma expressed hope that Taiwan and Korea can negotiate an investment protection agreement, economic cooperation agreement, or free trade agreement to pave the way for a continued strengthening of cooperation. He also said he hopes to see greater interaction in the areas of foreign affairs, culture, and tourism, which will make the bilateral relationship even closer.
Chairman Baik and Mrs. Baik visited the Presidential Office in the afternoon to meet with President Ma. Also attending the meeting were Secretary-General to the President Timothy Chin-Tien Yang (楊進添), National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General John C. C. Deng (鄧振中), and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ting Joseph Shih (石定).