AIDE MEMOIRE ON THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA (ROK) AND CAMBODIA-ROK BILATERAL RELATIONS *** ***

Transcription

1 Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation ********* AIDE MEMOIRE ON THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA (ROK) AND CAMBODIA-ROK BILATERAL RELATIONS *** *** I. GEOGRAPHY: - Capital : Seoul - Land Area : 98,480 Km 2 - Bordering Countries : Japan, DPR Korea (North Korea) and Yellow Sea - Population : 50,424,000 (Source from OECD ilibrary 13 July 2015) - National Language : Korean - Religion : None 48.3%, Christian 26.3%, Buddhism 23.3% - Independence Day : 15 August 1945 (From Japan) - National Day : 03 October (Foundation Day celebrated since thousand years ago) II. ECONOMIC SITUATION: - ROK is the world s 15 th largest economy, and also a member of the G-20 and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Growth (2014): 3.3% (From ROK Embassy in Phnom Penh) and GDP Per Capita 2013: 33,089 USD (source from OECD). 1

2 Trade Volume(in 2013), Korea recorded billion USD in exports and billion USD in imports. ROK s Economy heavily relies on the export of industrial products (electronic and telecommunication equipment, automobile, chemicals, steel, ship). Major export markets are China (27.7%), United States US (10.2%), and Japan (5.8%). Major Imported Products: oil, manufacturing equipment, semi-final product, steel and copper powder, and electronic equipment etc. from China (17.9%), Japan (16.2%), US (10.1%), Saudi Arabia (5.2%), Australia (4.9%). Oversea Investment in oil, mines, factory, real estate, construction, hotel, restaurant, agriculture, fishery, electricity etc. GDP by sector Services : 58.4% in 2014: Industry : 33.3% (source from OECD) Agriculture : 2.3% III. POLITICAL SITUATION: 1. Political System - ROK s political regime: Liberal Democratic Republic. - President is the head of state and elected by direct popular vote for a single 5-year term. - Prime Minister is appointed by the President through the approval from the Parliament. Election: - On 19 th December 2012, H.E. Ms. Park Geun-hye of the Saenuri Party was elected as the first female president in the history of the Republic of Korea. The President inaugural ceremony was held on 25 February On 30 July 2014, ROK held by-election for 15 seats in the National Assembly. The Saenuri Party won 11 seats and the New Politics Alliance for Democracy-NPAD (the opposition) gained only 4 seats. Thus, the Saenuri Party secured majority seats with158 out of a total 300 seats in parliament and the NPAD have only 126 seats. Important Leaders: -President : H.E. Ms. Park Geun-hye (25 February 2013) -Prime Minister : H.E. Mr. Hwang Kyo-ahn (18 June 2015) - Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade : H.E. Mr. Yun Byung-se (11 March 2013) - Ambassador to Cambodia : H.E. Mr. Kim Weon-jin (presented credential letter on 9 February 2015) 2. Foreign Relations: a- Inter-Korean Relations: The 1 st Inter-Korea Summit (on June 2000 in Pyongyang), issued a joint statement on 15 June 2000 on the agreement to resolve Korean reunification issue by Korean people, to boost immediate solution on humanitarian issue, to build mutual respect and trust, and to promote economic development in the Korean Peninsular. The 2 nd Inter-Koreans Summit (02-04 October 2007, in Pyongyang), issued a statement on the advancement of South-North Korean Relations, Peace and Prosperity. On 20 May 2010, ROK National Defense Ministry issued an official Press Release showing evidence of North Korea s involvement in the sinking of Cheonan. On 09 July 2010, UN Security Council issued a Presidential Statement condemning the sinking of Cheonan. (In a letter to South Korean President on 29 May 2010, Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed condolence for the loss of South Korean Navy crew and condemned the sinking of Cheonan, but without naming any culprit) 2

3 b- ROK-US Relations: At the end of the Korean War in 1953, the United States and the Republic of Korea signed a Mutual Defense Treaty which has been the foundation of comprehensive alliance until now. c- ROK-Japan Relations: Korea and Japan established diplomatic relations in 1965 under the Treaty on the fundamental relationship between Japan and Korea. Recent years, the relationship between Korea and Japan fell sharply because of several conflicts, including the claim of Dokdo (Korean) or Takeshima (Japanese island), visit of Japanese Prime Ministers to the Yasukuni shrine and different views on the history, particularly the violence against Korean women during Japanese occupation in Korea. d- ROK-China Relations: Korea and China was formally established their relations on 24 August Recent years, the two countries has made efforts to promote their strategic partnership and cooperation. In 2013, China is the biggest trading partner of Korea while the latter is the fourth largest trading partner of the former. IV. CAMBODIA-ROK BILATERAL RELATIONS: 1. Diplomatic Relations: 18/May/1970 : The establishment of Diplomatic Relations : Diplomatic Relations were severed. 30/10/1997 : The re-establishment of Diplomatic Relations. ROK : plan to establish the Consulate in Siem Reap Province, which covering the area of Siem Reap, Battambang, Pailin, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear Provinces. 2. The Joint Commission (JC) Meeting between Cambodia and ROK was held twice: -1st Meeting: on 12 August 2008, in Phnom Penh -2nd Meeting: on 09 July 2010, in Seoul, Republic of Korea -3rd Meeting: on 9 March 2016, in Phnom Penh In a meeting with ROK President in Seoul, on 12 December 2014, SPM proposed to elevate Cambodia-ROK cooperation to Strategic Partnership Cooperation, and the two leaders also agreed to establish the military attaché in both Embassies in order to further strengthen the military cooperation between the two countries. 3. Exchange of Visits: Visits of Cambodian leaders to the ROK: Samdech Akka Moha Ponhea Chakrei HENG Samrin, President of the National Assembly on 01 August 2007 Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia 6 times (July 1996, April 2001, March 2006, February 2008, June 2009 and December 2014) Visits of ROK s leaders to Cambodia: President Roh Moo-hyun, of the Republic of Korea, on Nov President Lee Myung-bak 2 times (: official visit in October 2009 and attending the ASEAN related Summits in November 2012) H.E. Mr. Chung Ui-hwa Speaker of the National Assembly of ROK : official visit on

4 May Bilateral Economic and Trade Relations: Cambodia-ROK Trade Volume (Source from CAMCONTROL of MoC) : Export from Cambodia Mil. USD Mil. USD Mil. USD Import from ROK Mil. USD Mil. USD Mil. USD Total 446 Mil. USD Mil. USD Mil. USD ROK provided duty-free and quota-free access for 2309 items (85% of all products) to Cambodia along with other least developed countries (as of 01 January 2010). (source from MoC) Mil.USD (2013) Korean Investment in Cambodia Mil.USD (2014) (Source from Ministry of Commerce) Mil. USD (2015) Aviation Service: 35 flights/week to Siem Reap (3 or 4 flights/day) and Phnom Penh (2 flights/day). Korean tourists visited Cambodia - 424,424 people (2014) (4 th ranking after Vietnam, China, and Laos) - 395,259 People(2015) (4 th ranking after Vietnam, China, and Laos). Cambodian workers in Korea: ( February 2016) 44,931 workers ,832 workers 5. ROK s assistance to Cambodia: ROK s assistance to Cambodia is ranked 4 th after China, Japan and ADB. ROK s assistance focuses on 4 priority sectors: 1. agriculture and rural development, 2. infrastructure and energy, 3. human resource development, and 4. health field. ROK provided Grant Aid to Cambodia from : 82.6 Millions USD -2011: 19.5 Mil. USD ( 6 Projects: Health, Transportation, Agriculture and Planning) -2012: 2 Mil. USD (1 Project on IT ) -2013: 17.1 Mil. USD (3 Projects: Education, Health, and Aviation service) -2014: 21 Mil. USD (4 Projects: Transportation, Economy, Health, Rural Development, and Saemaul Undong) -2015: 23 Mil. USD (Projects, Volunteers, Experts, Training Program and Scholarship for Master s Degree) Cambodia submitted the Request Forms for Grant Aid Projects to ROK: -in : 16 Projects : 5 Projects: - Establishment of HUN SEN Saemaul Undong University in Cambodia - A Project for Feasibility Study on Establishment of HUN SEN Saemaul Undong University in Cambodia - Enhancement of Retail Payment System - A Project for the Establishment and Operation of Mekong River Forest Center. 4

5 - Support to the third Cambodian Health Strategic Plan to enable access to quality heath care for the poor and vulnerable through social health protection. Human Resource Development: Scholarship for Master s Degree 18 officials (1 MFA officials) Training Program 152 officials (2 MFA officials) Scholarship for Master s Degree 18 officials (2 MFA officials) Training Program 153 officials (1 MFA officials) Korean Volunteers: ( ) 419 persons (work at Min. Education, Rural Development, Health, Tourism and Labor) (2015) 68 persons Experts (2014) 04 persons (work at Ministry of Rural development, Education, Agriculture) (2015) 7 persons ROK s Economic Development Cooperation Fund-EDCF Loan (2001-April 2015) 602,618,000 USD ,544,000 USD for 2 Projects: 1. Rural Roads Improvement Phase I (21 Mil. USD) 2. Improvement of National Road No. 21 ( Mil. USD) ,347,000 USD for 2 Projects: 1. Sala Ta Orn Dam Development ( Mil. USD) 2. Dauntri Dam Development (46.7 Mil. USD) Rural Roads Improvement Phase II 41 Mil. USD - April ,837,000 USD for 3 projects: 1. National Road No. 2 and No. 22 Improvement (56.1 Mil. USD) 2. Project for Improvement of National Road No. 48 in Cambodia ( Mil. USD) 3. Project of the Construction of Siem Reap Sewerage system and Improvement of Siem Reap River Phase II ( Mil. USD) Assistance to Khmer Rouge Tribunal (As of June 2012) 1.35 million USD Humanitarian assistance 400,000 USD [Relief for victim of Ketsana storm: 200,000 USD (Nov. 2009) and Flood relief: 200,000 USD (Oct. 2011)]. 6. Agreement to be negotiated: -Convention on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income. V. Bilateral Cooperation in the International Cooperation: Cambodia supported ROK since 2011: - Mr. Ban Ki Moon as Secretary General of United Nation for the 2 nd term(election in June 2011) - The Host of 18 th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP18) in Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)for the term (election held in 2013, in Canada). - Council of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the term (election held in November 2014, in the Republic of Korea). - Mr. Lee Caesub as Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau of ITU for the term (election held in November 2014, in the Republic of Korea). - Mr. Chang-ho Chung as Judge of International Criminal Court (ICC) for the term (election held in December 2014, in New York). - Dr. Lee Hoesung as the President of Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (election will be held during the 42th Conference in October 2015). 5

6 Korea supported Cambodia as a member of World Heritage Committee (election in Oct. 2009) VI. ASEAN-ROK COOPERATION: Since August 2015, Cambodia has been the Country Coordinator for the ASEAN-ROK Dialogue Relations for 3-year term ( ). ROK Financial Support: 1,531,915 USD for ASEAN-Korea Free Trade Area project ( ) Support projects under the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI): 5 Million USD for ASEAN-ROK Special Coop. Fund (SCF) and Future Oriented Coop. Projects (FOCP): 2 million for SCF 3 Million USD every year (since 2005) 1 million for FOCP Annual contribution has been increased from 3 to 5 Million USD, since 2010 for ASEAN- ROK Cooperation Fund Establishment of the ASEAN-ROK Center for promoting trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchange. Establishment of the ASEAN-ROK Eminent Persons Group to strengthen ASEAN-ROK strategic partnership and formulate policy on future ASEAN-ROK cooperation. 3.5 billion USD in 2015 (ASEAN s 5 th Largest source of FDI) During 15 th ASEAN-ROK Summit, ROK reiterated its decision to establish a consultative mechanism to engage with ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee. Total trade between ASEAN-ROK reached US$ 135 billion in 2013 (5 th largest trade partners) compared with US$ 97.2 billion in Both sides committed to achieving the target of increasing two-way trade volume to US$ 150 billion by 2015 and US$ 200 billion by VII. MEKONG-ROK COOPERATION: The 3rd Mekong-ROK Foreign Ministers Meeting (30 June 2013, in Bandar Seri Begawan) The 4th Mekong-ROK Foreign Ministers Meeting (28-29 July 2014, in Seoul) The 5th Mekong-ROK Foreign Ministers Meeting (05 August 2015, in Kula Lumpur) adopted the Co-Chairs Statement with some important points as follows: agreed to step up efforts towards narrowing the development gap, enhancing physical and software connectivity, and promoting sustainable and inclusive growth in the region. welcomed the progress made in the implementation of the POA as well as some of the pilot projects in the six priority areas and agreed to bolster efforts to fully implement on-going projects as well as develop new ones. appreciated ROK s continued contributions towards development in Mekong through ODA which constitutes 71% of ROK s ODA for ASEAN Member Countries. Ministers of Mekong Countries welcomed the increase of Mekong-ROK Cooperation Fund (MRCF) to 1 million US dollars in 2015 and appreciated ROK s commitment to work toward continued increase of the Fund. agreed to task the Mekong Institute (MI) to act as the Coordinator in collecting and circulating project proposals, disbursing funds, helping Senior Officials review and monitor the projects. MI and ROK have signed revised MoU of the MRCF on 21 September 2015 in Seoul. agreed to hold the 6th Mekong-ROK Foreign Ministers Meeting in Lao PDR in Cambodia and the ROK will. Phnom Penh, 8 April