Visit of Minister of State Ossian Smyth, TD
St.Patrick's Day Festival in Seoul
In March, the Embassy was delighted to welcome Minister of State with responsibility for Communications, eGovernment, Procurement and the Circular Economy, Ossian Smyth, TD to the Republic of Korea on the occasion of St. Patrick’s week.
The Minister’s program began with a visit to the demilitarised zone (DMZ), separating the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which included a briefing from UN Command informing how the Joint Security Area operates, and the history of the DMZ over the past 70 years. Later in Seoul, Minister Smyth paid his respects to the fallen during the Korean War, including a significant number of Irish nationals and those of Irish descent, at the National War Memorial of Korea.
During his visit, Minister Smyth had a number of high level meetings, including with Mr. Sangjoo Lee, Deputy Minister for Land, Transport and Infrastructure, and with Mr. SangJun Lim, Vice Minister for the Environment. The Minister also met with Climate Ambassador at MOFA, Ms. Jenny Kim and received a briefing on the impressive Sejong Smart City Initiative.
Minister Smyth’s visit coincided with the 3rd Summit for Democracy which took place in Seoul on 18 March. Minister Smyth represented Ireland at the Summit and delivered Ireland’s statement on AI Digital Technology and Democracy.
Minister Smyth had a number of business focussed activities during his visit, including meetings with the Enterprise Ireland Advisory Panel, the Ireland Korea Professionals Network, and with clients from both Enterprise Ireland the IDA. Korea is an important trading partner of Ireland, with bilateral trade amounting to over €6.1 billion.
Minister Smyth was guest of honour at the annual St. Patrick’s Day Reception in Seoul, with guests from Government, business, academia, and the Irish community in attendance. The Minister also addressed The St. Patrick's Day Festival, organised annually by the Irish Association of Korea. The festival was a wonderful public celebration of St. Patrick's Day with a big crowd in attendance and excellent music, dancing, and ‘the craic’ on display.