Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg has led his country’s economic mission to South Korea.
The royal was joined by the Minister of the Economy, Franz Fayot, and a business delegation of 87 people for the three-day visit beginning on 27 November. The short trip also celebrated 60 years of diplomatic relations between Luxembourg and South Korea.
On the first day, the Hereditary Grand Duke visited the 14th-century Gyeongbokgung Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Seoul, which was destroyed after the Japanese invasion and rebuilt in the 16th century. It is one of the largest and oldest palaces in South Korea. It is also important as it played a vital role in the development of Korean architecture over hundreds of years.
On the future Grand Duke’s second day in Korea, he met Korean Investors; he also attended the NewSpace Korea Forum and the Luxembourg-Korea Business Forum after meeting the President of South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol. In addition, two agreements were also signed to reinforce the economic relations between Luxembourg and Korea.
Over 200 speakers and participants took part in the NewSpace Korea Forum under the main topic “Korea’s challenges to the space economy,” and the Minister of the Economy of Luxembourg served as a guest speaker. The royal and minister also spoke to Korea’s Minister of Science and ICT, Lee Jong-Ho, about how the two countries can cooperate in the space industry. As a result, a memorandum of understanding was signed.
The Luxembourg-Korea Business Forum was organised by the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, and His Royal Highness opened the conference by talking about the strong ties between Luxembourg and Korea.
“Today, Luxembourg, be it the private sector or the political level, views Korea as a country with a vast potential for close cooperation in many areas. Our delegation, with representatives from 34 Luxembourg businesses – a rather substantial number by Luxembourg standards -, bears testimony of the interest for your country, of our will to find new partners and to deepen our economic ties,” he said.
His Royal Highnesses trip also included a lunch with representatives of the Korean company Solus Advanced Materials, which is the parent company of Circuit Foil Luxembourg. They discussed the “company’s ambitions for the Wiltz-based plant in an increasingly competitive international sector,” according to the Grand Ducal Court.
Prince Guillaume also attended a reception hosted by the Luxembourg Embassy, where a bilateral meeting was conducted with Park Jin representing the Korean government.
The final day saw the Prince open Rotarex’s modern plant, visit the War Memorial and have dinner with representatives of Korean industrial companies.
This was 41-year-old Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume’s fourth economic mission to South Korea; his first visit occurred when he was 19.
