Words to the New GenerationKorean Prime Minister Kim Jong-Pil Gives Lecture at Kyushu University
On the 30th of November 1998, Korean Prime Minister Kim Jong-Pil gave a lecture on the subject of the 'Past and Future of Korea and Japan' at Kyushu University. He spoke in Japanese expecting to speak directly to the Japanese young students. Kyushu University awarded him an honorary doctoral degree, the first awarded by Kyushu university to a statesman.
Prime Minister Kim talked for 45 minutes in a strong voice aiming to create a closer relationship between Korea and Japan and impressed the 1,500 students and faculty members who crowded into Memorial Auditorium at Kyushu University.
After the President of Kyushu University, Dr. Sugioka, handed the degree to him, Prime Minister Kim showed it to the audience and said: "Our good relationship between Korea and Japan will be a key to world prosperity. It is your theme, young people, to establish a good relationship."
It is very rare for the top level executives of Korea to speak officially in Japanese, and his lecture got a lot of publicity in the media as a symbol of the new relationship between Korea and Japan.
- The full text of the lecture in Japanese is on the Kyushu University home page.
- http://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/somu-bu/somu-ka/kouen/kouen-top.htm
