By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo met with Ambassadors Peter van der Vliet of the Netherlands and Georg Wilfried Schmidt of Germany on March 4 to review the agenda of his official visit to the UK, Germany and the Netherlands.

"The Netherlands sent more than 5,000 troops to fight in the Korean War before the establishment of diplomatic relations," Kim said during a meeting with Ambassador van der Vliet at his office in Yeouido.

"Our two countries have developed cooperation in a wide range of areas since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1961, and last year, the Netherlands invested more in Korea than any other EU member state," he said, praising the active economic cooperation between the two countries.

In the semiconductor industry, he said, "Our two countries have similar views on the stability of the semiconductor supply chain, and we look forward to continuing our strong cooperation." In the nuclear power sector, he said, "We look forward to participating in the construction of new nuclear power plants in the Netherlands, as our nuclear power companies have world-class price competitiveness and construction capabilities."

In the field of defense and technological security, Kim said, "We expect that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between our two countries will strengthen the institutional basis for defense cooperation, and we are pleased that we will co-host the Second High-Level Conference on the Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military domain Summit (REAIM) in Seoul this year after the Netherlands last year."

"Our two countries have much in common, not only as export-oriented economic powerhouses based on high technology and innovation, but also as countries that share democratic values and respect the international order," said Ambassador van der Vliet.

 "Let's strengthen cooperation on technology development and human resource training to stabilize the supply chain of the semiconductor industry," he said, adding that a delegation will soon visit Korea to discuss cooperation on nuclear power plants.

"I am pleased that since the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Germany last year, high-level exchanges between the two countries have been actively taking place, and bilateral economic cooperation is also growing closer day by day, with bilateral trade volume reaching a record high last year," Kim said, referring to the adoption of a resolution by the two countries' parliaments to commemorate the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

"I congratulate the Climate Club, which was proposed by Germany and joined by South Korea, on its official launch last December, and I look forward to our two countries working together in the field of hydrogen, one of the cleanest forms of energy, to lead the global hydrogen economy."

"It is unfortunate that the President Yoon Suk-yeol's visit to Germany has been postponed, but I hope that the Speaker Kim's visit will make up for it," said Ambassador Schmidt, noting that there is much room for cooperation between the two countries in renewable energy, including wind and hydrogen.

Kim and Ambassador Schmidt also discussed the Russian-Ukrainian war, expressing concern about the impact of increased cooperation between Russia and North Korea on the security of the Korean Peninsula and the protracted nature of the war.