'Brexit will not disrupt London-Seoul ties'

U.K. Ambassador to Korea Charles Hay speaks to The Korea Times during an interview at his residence in Jeong-dong, central Seoul, Oct. 11. / Korea Times photo by Shin Sang-soon

Two sides to launch joint culture project in February

By Yi Whan-woo

Learning another language can reveal the learner's character to some extent. For instance, it shows that the learner respects the country where the language is spoken and is enthusiastic about having good relations with the people there.

In that regard, U.K. Ambassador to Seoul Charles Hay has characteristics that reflect his country's determination to solidify ties with Korea despite lingering concerns over the impact of Brexit — Britain leaving the European Union — on bilateral relations.

Serving in Korea since February 2015, the ambassador speaks Korean in addition to English, French, Spanish and Czech. Although he denies it, he is rich in the Korean vocabulary so he can make appropriate use of Korean idioms and joke in Korean.

Before beginning the interview with The Korea Times and its sister paper Hankook Ilbo early this month, Hay worried this reporter about whether it would be necessary to translate the entire interview into English because he introduced himself in Korean and continued the conversation for a while in Korean. He used Korean and English during the interview, although he answered questions about sensitive issues in English.

Charles Hay stands in front of his residence in Jeong-dong, central Seoul, Oct. 11.
/ Korea Times photo by Shin Sang-soon

"The decision to leave the European Union was, of course, a democratic decision by the British people," he said at his residence in Jeong-dong, central Seoul.

"There will be some uncertainty. But a number of fundamental things about Britain will not change. We're still the fifth-richest country in the world, a member of the G7, a member of the U.N. Security Council.

"I don't' think the British people voted to make themselves or anybody else poorer. And I don't think the British people voted to close themselves off from the world. So we'll continue to be an outward-looking and globally engaged country."

Calling negotiations between the U.K. and Korea over the free trade agreement as "the biggest issue," Hay said it will be important to work together to resolve related questions after the U.K. leaves the E.U.

He also said he is optimistic about the bilateral relationship because it pertains to a wide range of areas, including culture, politics and defense.

Beginning February 2017, the two sides will jointly launch a project titled "The Year of U.K./ Korea 2017-2018 Creative Futures" on the 134th anniversary of their diplomatic treaty.

The U.K. government will run the programs, including a concert by the London Symphony Orchestra, across Korea for a year up to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, which will begin on Feb. 9, 2018. The Korean government will organize its respective programs in the U.K. in the following year.

"It's a great opportunity for us to showcase a whole range of different British cultural activities, not just music but also literature, crafts, film ... a whole series of events all across the (Korean) peninsula, not just in Seoul," he said. "We had really excellent cooperation with the Korean ministry of culture ... and I think that will have a real impact on each side in building that understanding."

In terms of political relationship, Hay cited the latest meetings between leaders and foreign ministers from the two countries.

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, who took office in the aftermath of the Brexit decision, and President Park Geun-hye held their first summit on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China, Sept. 4.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who May appointed in July, held one-on-one talks with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on Sept. 20, during the 71st session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

The U.K. will conduct its first joint aerial drill with Korea and the United States at the U.S. air base in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, from Nov. 4 to 10.

The U.K. plans to send four Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets, Voyager tanker aircraft and C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft.

Hay will host a press conference on Oct. 31 at his residence to brief reporters on the three-way cooperation among the allies.

"The Typhoon deployment is our largest deployment of military personnel and cutting-edge military equipment to the Republic of Korea (ROK) for many years," Hay said. "We are dedicated to maintaining the peace, security and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula, the ROK, the region and beyond.

"This exercise is tremendously important and it demonstrates that even though the Royal Air Force is committed to operations in the Middle East and elsewhere, we still have the capability to deploy effectively to the other side of the world.

"This reinforces the message that the U.K. is a globally engaged player with global power, reinforcing our relationship with partners, and also promoting U.K. prosperity."

In separate cooperation, the Korean Navy received its first batch of four AW159 anti-submarine helicopters made by Anglo-Italian defense firm Leonardo-Finmeccanica in June.