On Friday, July 7, 2006, a lecture presentation was given by former Prime Minister Lee Hai-chan, Republic of Korea, at Centennial Hall, Kyushu University School of Medicine. The lecture theme was "Present and Future of Korea-Japan Relation".
"It takes about an hour to fly from Seoul to Fukuoka. I could actually feel the closeness between the two countries."
Former Prime Minister Lee spoke calmly about the expansion of cultural exchange in the private sector, strong economic interdependency, and mentioned that barriers between Korea and Japan are virtually nonexistent due to television and Internet while the political relationship between the two countries has been damaged. Mr. Lee continued with the following comments: |
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"This is the 21st century. History is progressing. There probably is a limit as a result from our history, but we should not be trapped in it, as the mature relationship between Korea and Japan has now marked its 40th year to create a better future through cooperation."
"The lesson of the Korean War is never to start a war in the Korean Peninsula and East Asia. Korea, Japan, and China have historical responsibilities to prevent a war."
"We should solve the issues concerning North Korea rationally with protection of peace in Asia in mind. Korea, the U.S., and Japan should cooperate to bring back North Korea to the six nation talks".
Lastly, Mr. Lee made an appeal to the students, "Please have dreams and develop the Korea-Japan relationship as our partner," and received applause from the students and people attending the lecture. |
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