hankyoreh

President Lee Myung-bak arrived in Moscow on September 28 (local time), the start of a four-day visit to Russia. The visit, which he said would focus on strengthening economic cooperation and upgrading bilateral ties, wraps up a series of visits to what are known in Korea as the four powers: the United States (April), Japan (April) and China (May).

That afternoon, President Lee and First Lady Kim Yoon-ok landed at Sheremetyevo International Airport and were greeted by a welcoming event, after which they moved to the South Korean Embassy in Russia.

At the embassy, Lee met with about 100 ethnic Koreans. Attendees included Vasily Joi, the head of the Russian association of ethic Koreans; Sergey Ten, the chairman of an association for ethnic culture and the first vice prime minister of the Tuva Republic; and Ji Ho-cheon, the head of an association of Korean people in Moscow. Currently, there are some 6,000 Korean people doing business in Russia, and the number of ethnic Koreans in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States stands at some 500,000.

Recalling the history of migrations of Korean people to the Russian Far East, President Lee said, “Koryo people (ethnic Koreans) have overcome their ordeals and helped develop relations between the two nations. I will continue to push for measures to support ethnic Koreans, who are valuable assets for strengthening bilateral ties and the development of our nation, by helping them improve their standing in Russian society.

Lee said, “I will put my focus on revitalizing the Korean economy so that ethnic Koreans can feel proud of their mother country. I hope that Koreans abroad will support these efforts.”

Ethnic Koreans in Russia were enthusiastic about Lee’s visit. They shared with the president their views about the South Korean government’s policy on ethnic Koreans abroad, including their hope that more children of ethnic Korean descent will be allowed to visit South Korea in the future.

After the meeting, President Lee moved to the state guesthouse at Kremlin, where he gave three state medals to Russian officials for their roles in fostering relations between the two nations. One of the three was Anatoly Perminov, the director of the Russian Federal Space Agency, which helped South Korea send its first astronaut, Yi So-yeon, into space.

Lee also met with Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov to discuss how the two sides could work together to allow more South Korean companies to invest in Russia.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]