FOQR MEDIA I AY 1979
SPEEC( : 10F yE LCOMJ3 FOR KOREAN PRIME MIUiSTE I
It gives me great pleasure to extend a warm welcome, Oil
behalf of the Austral ian Government and peoplce, to His
Excellelcy Mr. Chi Kyu-H-ah Pr ine Ministcr of the
Republic of Korea, and his delegation.
Over the last 30 years there have been many di fficul~ ties in
the Korean Peninsula and South East Asia. This has been
an area of turmoil and difficulty, of iiever-cnding challenge.
Your p~ eople were put through the most difficult test of
all invasion, and the danger o~ f the loss of freedom.
You fought, with your allies, for the most precious and most
prized human possess; ion, for freedom and liberty of spirit.
You have worked hard to preserve that. It has often been difficult.
There have been alarms and dangers in the demilitarised zone
and keeping the peace has not been easy. You need the secure:
support of your friends, particularly in the light of a
massive arms build-up by North Korea. It is your own strength,
the support friends and allies, your treaties with the United
States, that are working to prevent war breaking out again.
You have lived under challenge, y'ou've lived under threat,
and you've responded to it magnificently.
Trho Republic of Korea not only has a defence b) urden, you have
the task of building the living standards of your own peel))
By your effort and energy, and despite few natural resources,
your Gross Domestic Product has been rising by 10 percent
a year. Ho0w many advanced countries would wish that they could
achieve that?
You are an example o~ f what a developing country can do when it
allows market forces to operate in the development of trade
and industry. You are an example of what a free people can
do, spurred on by the need to work for survival. For all
these reasons, Mr. Prime Minister, we are particularly glad to
welcome you, your fellow Minister, Mr. Chang Yie Joon, and
your delegation. It i~ s net the first time you have visited
Australia, but it is the first time as Prime Minister, and
we are delighted that you are here. ./ 2
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The rclation ship betwkon Austral. i. a. and the Repub[ c K( oo rca
has strengthened since the Korean War. 1We share many points
of common interest.
Our relationship began when, as a Member of the Uniiitd Nations
Control Commiss ion Australia p1 aycd an active part in the
estab slishmeunt of thie Repub l. ic otf Korea after W1orld War II.
Thec relation ship was strengtthen ed wh en we with other United
Nations Forces, supported the Republic of Korea during the
Korean War. Since that time our rcla tiont ship has developed into
a rich political and economic partnership.
The imost spectacular and easily identied ar-ea of growth in our
relat ionship has been in trade. Since the early 1970' s the value
of trade between us has increased seven fold. ' IThe major reason for
this growlti has been the spectacular econolmic progress made by
your country. I'm sure that as our respective economies grow,
many more opportuni. ties for trade wil. develop.
We recognise that much of Australia's trading future rests
with the Republic of Korea, with Japan and Chin a, with South
East. Asia, and with the Pacific countries generally. We
particularly welcome the beginning of your investment : iln
partnersbip wilith Australian concernis in the development of
Australian resources, and we hope that your participation
will coiit'inue and grow.
Our two countries are co-operating in other areas. We have
initialled an agreement covering the Republic of Korea's
fishing activities in the Australian 200 Nautical Mile
Fishing Zone. We look forward to the conclusion of
outstanding matters relating to that agrieement.
During your visit a nuclear safeguards agreement between the
Republic of Korea and Australia w: ill be signed. We
recognise your need for nuclear power for peaceful purposes.
Up till now, the Repub. lic of Korea has been about 60 percent
dependent upon oil as an energy source. Is it any wonder
that you seek to divcrsify more into coal and nuclear power?
Our trading relationship has been greatly helped by frequent
discussions between our Ministers, our officials, and our
businessmen. The Australian/ Korea Business Cooperation
Committee is doing much active work. Your country was the
first with which we establi. shed regul ar Government to Goverament
talks and your visi. t is a significant addition to those regular
discussions. My colleague, The Min. ister for Trade and Resources,
is planning to vLisit Seoul later this year.
Your country and mine share a commitment to peace and stability
in our region and in the world. e welcome developmnent that have
contributed to that end, such as the normalisation of relations
between China and the United States of America. We hope that
ultimately through peaceful means, through consultation and
negotiation, thie solutions will be found to the problems that
are causing continued tension in the Korean Peninsula. / 3
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We a pprciate whiat your Govern iient is doin. g to find a peace fl
and lbasting Soi ution to these problems.
The last few years have seen increasing contacts between us
in thm economi~ c and poliical spheres in sp) orts and cultural and
acadlemic exchaniges and : in scientif[ ic cooperation. An
essent~ ial part of buil ding internuational friendships : is personal.
knowlecdge of each other amongst Government leaders and I
warmly welcome your Government's invitation to visi t your
counitry. I am looking forward to thie day when it will be possible
to schedule that vi sit.
I have heard much about the beauty of your country and the warmth
and hospitality of your people. I warmly welcome you and
your del. egation to Australia. 1 now propose a toast to
the health of Prime Minister Chioi Kyu-lih.
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