Norwegian royals make the rounds

Crown Prince Haakon Magnus, right, and his wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, are welcomed by Korean children on May 10 as they arrive at Busan Station. [NEWSIS]

On the first visit of a Norwegian royal to South Korea, Crown Prince Haakon Magnus and his wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, were accompanied by a large entourage of Norwegian government trade officials and business leaders last week, all intent on establishing more economic connections between the two countries.
The trip is following up on the 2005 free trade agreement Korea signed with the European Free Trade Area, which saw trade between Korea and Norway surpass $1.7 billion by 2006. Sharing of natural gas resources and information and technology development were main goals of the royals’ visit.
A review of the pair’s itinerary shows a whirlwind tour of press conferences, ceremonies, business dinners, parades and other events that stretched right up to the minute their plane left for Europe on Friday night. The couple, having anticipated the chocker-block schedule, had a chance to charge up their batteries in Krabi, Thailand, before arriving in Korea.
After being greeted at the airport late Monday night by the Norwegian ambassador to Korea, Didrik T?nseth, his Korean counterpart, Kim Young-seok, and several government officials, the crown prince couple were whisked off to the Grand Hyatt to get settled in to their suite, equipped with a sauna, gym and kitchen.
The next morning there was no time for jet lag ― they participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the National Cemetery before heading to the Blue House for a meeting and lunch with President Roh Moo-hyun and his wife, Kwon Yang-sook. The afternoon included a meeting with Nobel laureate Kim Dae-jung at the former president’s peace center. In the evening, the crown prince and princess were hosted by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo at his residence.
“Your country is today among the world’s leading economic powers,” said the prince in a speech at the banquet, “and has become Norway’s third-largest trading partner in Asia.”
On Wednesday, before a gala event at the Hyatt, the princess offered advice on gender equality at a seminar on the reconciliation of work and family life. “Women need to be more than mothers and carers; men need to be more than the family breadwinner,” she said.
The next day the couple did the KTX train the honor of choosing it as the most efficient means for them to get to Busan for their next appointments. Over the next two days, the couple unveiled a Norwegian monument at the UN Memorial Cemetery in memory of the Norwegian contribution to the Korean War, and participated in an early celebration of Norway’s national day (it officially falls on May 17), organized by the Norwegian community. The royal couple left from Incheon Airport late Friday night.

By Richard Scott-Ashe Contributing Writer [richard@joongang.co.kr]