Written by: Martin Uden  |  Posted on: October 28th, 2023

The Treaty of Friendship and Commerce between Great Britain and Corea, 26 November 1883
Photo by the Korean Embassy

At the kind invitation of the Korean Ambassador, our Joint President, HE Yeocheol Yoon, members of the British Korean Society enjoyed a Korean Night at the Ambassador’s Residence on 27 September.  It is always a pleasure that the Ambassador extends this kind invitation, but this year there was a special reason to time the event so close to Chuseok in that the Korean Foreign Minister, HE Park Jin CBE, was visiting London and able to share his own thoughts on the bilateral relationship.

HE Park Jin CBE

After a welcoming drink, speeches were given by the Korean Ambassador, the Foreign Minister, the BKS Chairman and the Rt Hon Sir John Whittingdale OBE MP. HE Park Jin has an unrivalled view of UK/Korean relations, having studied and taught in the UK and having served many years as Chairman of the BKS’s sister society, the Korea Britain Society in Seoul. He treated his audience to a historical perspective of the 140^th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the UK and Korea, noting the many interactions over the years and stressing the shared values that continue to bind the two countries together. Following the speeches, guests were treated to a short concert with a mix of instruments, styles and tempos before an enjoyable Korean buffet to conclude the evening.

The honoured few were able to see both the English and Korean originals of The Treaty of Friendship and Commerce between Great Britain and Corea, 26 November 1883 thanks to the national archives of both countries and all the guests were able to see the digital version of the treaty on display at the reception.

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