Yoon calls for logistics cooperation between Busan, Rotterdam ports

Diplomacy

Published: 14 Dec. 2023, 19:03 Updated: 14 Dec. 2023, 19:24

Yoon calls for logistics cooperation between Busan, Rotterdam ports

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, second from right, and Dutch King Willem-Alexanders, far right, attend a business forum between Korea and the Netherlands at a hotel in Amsterdam on Wednesday, joined by business leaders of both countries, including SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, second from left, and Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, fourth from left. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol said he looks forward to continued cooperation between Rotterdam Port in the Netherlands and Busan Port, a global logistics hub, at a bilateral business forum during his state visit.

"A solid foundation has been laid for the two countries to develop into a true semiconductor alliance encompassing our governments, companies and universities," Yoon said at the forum Wednesday during his state visit to the Netherlands, where he and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte formally declared a chip alliance and a new channel of dialogue for semiconductor cooperation.

He also highlighted the two countries' logistics cooperation, recalling that Korea's first domestically mass-produced car, the Hyundai Pony, first entered the European market through Amsterdam in 1979. He added that Korea's first overseas joint logistics center was established in Rotterdam in 2004, creating a gateway for Korean cargo heading to Europe.

Korea plans to build a cold chain logistics center in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam by 2027, the first of its kind in Europe, through cooperation between the Busan Port Authority and the Port of Rotterdam Authority.

"Logistics costs for Korean small- and medium-sized companies' products and fresh food headed for Europe will be greatly reduced, and the Netherlands' position as a logistics hub will also be strengthened," Yoon said.

This comes amid the growing popularity of K-food in the European market, providing an opportunity to increase Korea's fresh food exports while reducing exporters' logistical costs.

"Semiconductors are the symbol of bilateral cooperation today," Yoon said. "The Netherlands's ASML and Korea's Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have become the world's best companies in their respective fields through complementary and mutually beneficial cooperation."

Korea and the Netherlands held their first business forum on Wednesday, attended by some 200 businesspeople from the two countries, including Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and leading Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML's Chief Executive Peter Wennink.

"Amid intensified competition for technological hegemony and unprecedented complex crises, such as climate change geopolitical challenges, our two countries who share universal values are continuing a cooperative relationship that is more exemplary than any other country," Yoon said. "For cooperation between the two countries to become more active in the future, strategic solidarity in the semiconductor field must be further strengthened."

Companies and institutions from the two countries signed 19 memorandums of understanding (MOU) for cooperation in high-tech industries, carbon-free energy, logistics and agriculture.

The two sides signed an MOU on nuclear energy cooperation, and Yoon said he would support leading Korean construction companies in participating in nuclear power plant projects in the Netherlands.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) signed a contract with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy on a technical feasibility study to construct two new nuclear power plants in Borssele.

The KHNP has been keen on joining bids to build new nuclear power plants in the Netherlands, competing against U.S. and French companies.

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, center right, speaks with Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML Chief Executive Peter Wennink, center left, at a bilateral business forum in Amsterdam on Wednesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

During his speech at the business forum, Yoon further highlighted the blood alliance between the two countries, noting that the Netherlands was the fourth country to decide to send troops to defend South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, following the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

"The Netherlands is our blood ally, sending thousands of young people to the Korean War to protect the freedom of the Republic of Korea," Yoon said. "Korea and the Netherlands are representative countries that have grown based on a firm belief in liberal democracy, the rule of law, free trade and multilateralism.

On the same day, Yoon and Dutch Prime Minister Rutte formally declared the establishment of a chip alliance and a semiconductor dialogue channel during their bilateral summit in The Hague.

"The two countries decided to strengthen strategic communication and policy coordination in the fields of economic security and supply chains," Yoon said in a joint press conference alongside Mark Rutte. "The two countries will establish a semiconductor alliance."

"The strategic partnership is a new phase in our relationship building on a solid foundation of over 60 years of excellent ties," Rutte said. "Our countries are united when it comes to security and values."

The two leaders issued a joint statement after the summit, which "reaffirmed their commitment to build a semiconductor alliance," encompassing the participation of their governments, businesses and academia.

They "recognized their common interest in monitoring disruptions to critical items and ensuring the resilience of supply chains" and agreed to promote intergovernmental exchange of knowledge and information regarding the supply chain of critical items.

The two countries also established a bilateral semiconductor dialogue and a "semiconductor talent program."

Korea and the Netherlands further agreed to intensify existing bilateral dialogues and exchanges, including launching a biennial two plus two foreign and industry high-level ministerial dialogue to deepen their "strategic partnership relationship."

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, offers a silent prayer in front of a bust of patriot Yi Jun, a late Korean diplomat and prosecutor, as he visits the Yi Jun Peace Museum in The Hague on Wednesday. Yi was dispatched as an emissary by Emperor Gojong to attend the Second Hague Peace Conference in 1907 to spread word of Japan’s unlawful colonization of Korea and later died in the city. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Also on Wednesday, Yoon and Rutte visited the Ridderzaal, where the Second World Peace Conference was held in 1907.

Yoon later visited the Yi Jun Peace Museum in The Hague, the only memorial site for the Korean independence movement against Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule in Europe.

In July 1907, Yi Jun, a Korean prosecutor and diplomat, led two other emissaries on behalf of Emperor Gojong to the Second Hague Peace Conference in The Hague in a failed mission to tell the world that Korea was an independent country and of Japan's unlawful colonization of Korea.

Yi was found dead a few days later in his room at the Hotel De Jong on Wagenstraat in The Hague at the age of 47. The hotel later became the Yi Jun Peace Museum in 1995.

"I will not forget Yi Jun's dedication to the nation and build a great country," Yoon wrote in the guest book.

Yoon was the first Korean president to visit the Ridderzaal and the museum.

Yoon also met with around 20 Dutch Korean War veterans and members of their families at the Royal Palace of Amsterdam on Wednesday, expressing gratitude for the swift decision by the Netherlands to send some 5,000 troops to support the South. More than 120 Dutch soldiers were killed in the Korean War.

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, thanks Dutch veterans of the Korean War at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam on Wednesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee later participated in a bilateral cultural event Wednesday evening in Amsterdam showcasing Korean traditional performances featuring the National Gugak Center and a congratulatory message by Culture Minister Yoo In-chon, an actor.

Yoon and Kim departed the Netherlands on Thursday, wrapping up a five-day state visit upon the invitation of King Willem-Alexander.

On Tuesday, Yoon became the first foreign leader to be shown around ASML's cleanroom, where its machines are produced. He was accompanied by the king, Samsung's Lee and SK's Chey.

During the visit, Samsung Electronics and ASML agreed to invest one trillion won ($762 million) in a joint research center in Korea dedicated to ultrafine semiconductor manufacturing processes utilizing next-generation extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines.

"With this state visit, a global semiconductor supply chain alliance that will connect the entire cycle from design to materials, parts and equipment, and manufacturing has been completed," Park Chun-sup, senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, said in a briefing in Amsterdam. "Following the United States, Japan and Britain, the semiconductor supply chain solidarity with the Netherlands has been obtained."

The presidential couple was set to return to Seoul on Friday, concluding their last diplomatic tour this year.

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and Dutch King Willem-Alexander shake hands at a bilateral cultural event showcasing traditional Korean performances at AFAS Live, a concert hall in Amsterdam, on Wednesday. This marks the first such cultural event, arranged in return for the invitation for a five-day state visit to the Netherlands by the king. Culture Minister Yoo In-chon, an actor, read a congratulatory message wishing for the development, prosperity and friendship between the two countries, commemorating the first state visit of a Korean president since the establishment of diplomatic relations in the Netherlands in 1961. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]