President Yoon Suk Yeol on Nov. 21 gives a speech to the British Parliament at the Palace of Westminster in London. (Kang Min Seok from Office of the President)

By Charles Audouin
Video = Official YouTube account of Office of the President

"The Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom are authors of dynamic and creative histories. We must stand in solidarity and respond to many of the world's challenges."

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Nov. 21 said this in a speech in English to the British Parliament at the Royal Gallery of the Palace of Westminster in London, urging both countries to broaden their scope of cooperation.

In his 17-minute speech under the theme "For this Friendship May So Happy Prove, to Turn Our Challenges to Pure Opportunity," he said, "This year we celebrate the one hundred fortieth Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties. It will be an important and meaningful year for our partnership."

"Last spring, the United Kingdom forces participated in the Korea-United States combined exercise for the first time. We are building new mechanisms for intelligence sharing and cyber security cooperation."

Turning to economic cooperation, he said, "Our bilateral trade and investment have thrived in many areas like finance, logistics, service, and bioscience. The FTA (free trade agreement) between Korea and the United Kingdom that took effect in (2021) has added further momentum."

"We will begin negotiations to modernize the FTA to strengthen cooperation on supply chains and digital trade."

"Tomorrow, Prime Minister Sunak and I will sign 'the Downing Street Accord.' Our bilateral relations will be reborn as true 'Global Strategic Partners," he added. "Together, we will cultivate sustainable growth and prosperity for all of humanity."

President Yoon said both countries will broaden cooperation to the digital, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, nuclear energy and defense industries as well as the bio, outer space, semiconductors, offshore wind power, green energy and maritime sectors.

Stressing the need for new rules and order in the digital era, he added that the Digital Bill of Rights announced by the Korean government in September sets the five guiding principles of freedom, fairness, safety, innovation and solidarity.

"The Korean government is committed to leading international dialogue and cooperation on shaping new digital AI norms," the president said. "(Korea) will work with the United Kingdom's AI Safety Network and the United Nation’s High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence."

"In addition, we will put more efforts to bridge the digital divide and to drive digital innovation."

On culture and arts, President Yoon said, "The United Kingdom is the country of the Beatles, Queen, Harry Potter and David Beckham's right foot. Korea is the country of BTS, BLACKPINK, 'Squid Game' and Son Heung-min's right foot."

A combined 450 members of both houses of Parliament attended the speech. After speaking, President Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee attended a state dinner hosted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace.