Against the backdrop of progress towards signing a free trade agreement between Israel and South Korea, President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday hosted a special event for leaders of Korean industry held by the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry together with KCCI Chairman Park Yong-maan.
Among the participants were heads of companies and corporations in the fields of automotive, gas, electronics and construction.
MOUs were signed in the field of trade between the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and the Israel Export Institute and in the field of robotics between the Daegu municipality and the Israel Export Institute.
President Rivlin said in a statement: “Israel enjoys close strategic relations with Egypt and Jordan, and growing ties with the Gulf States and other Arab countries. We see great opportunity in these growing relations. We want to see you in Israel. Let us deepen the ties between our countries and between our peoples.”
South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee said in a statement: “The free trade agreement will significantly expand our relationship as well as the market, and we hope it will be signed soon. It will give both countries a boost in a variety of fields.”
President Rivlin told the KCCI: “Israel is the country that made the desert bloom. We faced great challenges, so we had to develop great solutions. We see challenges as opportunities – this is the secret of Israel as a start-up nation.” At the end of his speech, the president called upon the leaders of the Korean business community to come to Israel and explore the many excellent opportunities for collaboration.
KCCI Chairman Park Yong-maan responded: “This is a significant and important visit for us since the two Chambers of Commerce, the Israeli and the Korean, have signed a memorandum of understanding for the first time in history. We will continue to promote Korean delegations to Israel in order to deepen the fruitful cooperation between us as much as possible. I thank the President for being with us at this morning’s meeting.”