British Korean Society Annual Reception 2022
Written by: Douglas Barrett | Posted on: December 10th, 2022
BKS Annual Reception, 17 November
BKS members at the In and Out Club
The Society held its annual reception at the prestigious Naval & Military Club (The In and Out Club) on 17 November. During the evening we heard a number of speeches from our distinguished guests who included our Co-President Sir Stephen Brown, the new Korean Ambassador Yoon Yeocheol and UK Minister for Trade and Government Whip Nigel Huddleston.
Ambassador Yoon Yeocheol speaking at the event
Nigel Huddleston MP
Our Chair Martin Uden welcomed guests to the reception. He paid tribute to all our sponsors, especially Samsung for their continued generous support to the BKS.
Ambassador Yoon said that he had been in London for four weeks. He paid tribute to the UK veterans of the Korean War who had fought for freedom and democracy on the peninsula – the Korean people would never forget their sacrifice. He noted that Korea and the UK have shared values. Both countries are supporting the war effort in Ukraine. Our Free Trade Agreement came into effect in 2021 – he would now like to work on an enhanced deal which would benefit both our countries. We were approached the 140th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between our two countries. He ended by saying his goal was to make Korea a Global Pivotal State with an outward looking role in the world.
Minister Nigel Huddleston began by paying his respects to those who had perished in the Itaewon tragedy. He welcomed Ambassador Yoon and noted that the 70th Anniversary of the Armistice on the Peninsula was approaching. UK-Korea trade now stood at £17bn. The Korean economy was now based on clean energy, fuel cells and a move to net zero. Korea now had global influence and entered all our lives through Hallyu (The Korean wave), K Pop and the Premier League.
Martin thanked Sylvia Park for her fantastic organisation and presented her with a bouquet of flowers.
Over 60 members attended the reception and enjoyed a wonderful evening of networking, delicious food and superb wine. Our thanks go to the committee for organising a great event.
