‘Prime Minister Lee visits my country in mid-March to promote economic cooperation’

Ambassador Grecia Fiordalicia Pichardo of the Dominican Republic in Seoul disclosed that Prime Minister Lee Nak-Yeon is scheduled to visit the Dominican Republic in mid-March leading a large delegation of Korean business leaders of Korea.
Speaking at a reception she hosted at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Feb. 27, 2018 in celebration of the 174th anniversary of the National Independence of her country, Ambassador Picardo said, “The Korean prime minister will lead a large business delegation with a goal to give continuity to cooperation and investments projects in the areas of sustainable energy, construction and manufacturing.” (See excerpts from the speech of Ambassador Pichardo at the end of this report.)

A large number of distinguished guests from the Korean society attended the reception representing all walks of life, including the Korean government and business circles. There also were many ambassadors and prominent figures from the diplomatic and international communities in Korea.
Among the Korean guests in attendance were Director General Tae-Wan Hur of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Latin America and Caribbean Bureau, Korean honorary consul for the Dominican Republic and representatives of various other civic organizations including the media, whence Vice Chairman Choe Nam-suk of The Korea Post media attended the party on behalf of the publisher-chairman of the organization, publisher of 3 English and 2 Korean-language media.

Excerpts from the speech of Ambassador Pichardo of the Dominican Republic:

It’s a great honor to be able to address you all on this joyous occasion for the people of the Dominican Republic, and to also express my sincerest gratitude do all of you for showing solidarity and joining us in commemorating the 174th anniversary of the proclamation of independence of the Dominican Republic.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
2017 offered the Dominican Republic valuable opportunities to strengthen its institutions and continue strengthening cooperation and friendly ties with the international community.
We were Hosts for peace and dialogue, aimed at finding solutions to the internal differences faced by sister nations and we extended our hand in assistance of neighboring countries that suffered from the natural disasters that affected our region.
At the end of last year, we assumed the Pro-Tempore Presidency of the Central American Integration System (SICA), through which we will give continuity to SICA’s regional agenda and advance its five (5) pillars: strengthening of institutions, democratic security, social and economic integration, climate change and integral risk management, in keeping with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
During 2017, the Dominican Republic’s Gross Domestic Product reached a growth rate of 4.9%, the second highest growth rate in the Latin American and Caribbean region, placing our country in the top two spots for the fourth year in a row.
The Dominican Republic’s tourism industry, one of the country’s main economic contributors, also continued to grow during 2017, registering a 3.8% increase with the visit of over 6 million tourists last year.
2018 has been declared by the Dominican Government as the “Year of Export Fomentation”; we will continue working together with the authorities of the Republic of Korea in order to promote the wide variety of our exportable products, as well as to incentivize the participation of the Korean private sectors in the commercial events that will take place in our country during the course of this year.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Governments of the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Korea continue to widen the breadth of their exchanges and cooperation, as well as strengthening their bilateral relations with high level visits between both countries.
During 2017, we received ten (10) official delegations to the Republic of Korea, including a visit from Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Hugo Francisco Rivera, in the frame work of the 8th FEALAC FMM held in August in Busan.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, His Excellency Lee Nak-Yeon, is scheduled to visit the Dominican Republic mid-March of this year, accompanied by a large delegation of Korean businesspersons, with the goal of giving continuity to cooperation and investment projects in the areas of sustainable energy, construction and manufacturing.
SK E&S’s has an important project in development in the Dominican Republic, which looks to develop the value chain for liquid natural gas (LNG), the development of an LNG Import Terminal in Manzanillo and the construction of a power plant in the city of Santiago, amongst other important investments.
The Embassy of the Republic of Korea also inaugurated its new building in the Dominican Republic last year.
Dear Friends,
During the six and a half years of my Mission in the Republic of Korea, serving the Dominican Republic as Ambassador, my husband and I have shared a lot of experiences, made new friends and we were lucky to get to know a millenary and enriching country and people, including its rich and varied gastronomy.
Excellencies, representatives of the Diplomatic Corps and the Korea Government, business-people, press, Honorary Consul Jun Byung-Hyun, local staff at our Diplomatic Mission, Dominican nationals, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Changes are a part of diplomatic life; in this sense, I would like to take this opportunity to inform you about the end of my Mission in the Republic of Korea and at the same time say our goodbyes. The Kingdom of Morocco will be my new destination, where new challenges await us to continue to strengthen and widen the Dominican Republic’s diplomatic relations.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Korean authorities for the successful hosting of the 2018 Pyeonchang Winter Olympics, which recently came to a close, as well as to the Korean Government and people for the approach and gestures aimed at achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula. In honor of this initiative, I would like to close out my intervention by reciting a few verses from the Korean National Anthem.
“Until that day when Mt. Baekdu is worn away and the East Sea's waters run dry,
May God preserve Korea, our long-living homeland!
“As the pine atop Namsan Peak stands firm, unchanged through wind and frost,
as if wrapped in armor, so shall our resilient spirit.”