President Lee, Princess Anne discuss stronger Korea-Britain maritime and shipbuilding ties

President Lee Jae Myung and Princess Anne, the younger sister of Britain's King Charles III, discussed the robust maritime and shipbuilding cooperation between Korea and Britain in Seoul on Tuesday.

As a part of efforts to strengthen bilateral ties in the maritime, shipbuilding and defense industries, Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, began a three-day trip to Korea on Monday and paid a courtesy call on Lee at the Blue House in central Seoul late Tuesday afternoon after visiting southern port cities earlier in the day.  

Princess Anne is the only daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. She last visited Korea for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics as a member of the International Olympic Committee. 

The princess told Lee that this marks her fourth time visiting Korea.

“Your mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, visited Andong when she came to Korea, which is my hometown,” Lee said.

In April 1999, Queen Elizabeth II made a historic visit to Korea and spent her 73rd birthday in Andong, North Gyeongsang, enjoying a Korean meal and exploring the traditional Hahoe Village.

Lee asked about her tour of the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan earlier on Tuesday, noting the shipbuilder has strong ties with Britain.

“Several,” Princess Anne said. “Fortunately, they’ve got good links.”

Princess Anne shared that she also toured the port in Busan. She, however, expressed regret that she couldn’t stop by Andong because she had traveled by the KTX high-speed train back to Seoul after her trips to Busan and Ulsan earlier in the day.

Her trip included a meeting with HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun to discuss shipbuilding technologies and its partnerships with British companies, including Rolls-Royce.

The princess noted that “the maritime connection has been a very, very old one” between the two countries.

During her Blue House visit, the princess was accompanied by British Ambassador to Korea Colin Crooks while Lee was flanked by aides including National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac and presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik.

The two sides were expected to have discussed recent regional developments, along with measures to strengthen practical cooperation in various fields, including expanding trade and investment, science and technology and culture exchanges.

On Monday, Princess Anne and her husband began a three-day trip to Korea, which also marked 75 years since British troops fought with the UN forces in the 1950-53 Korean War. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Battles of Imjin River and Gapyeong, involving British forces, in 1951.

The visit comes as Britain seeks closer ties with Korea in shipbuilding, shipping and port operations as it expands its engagement in the Indo-Pacific.

Earlier Tuesday, Princess Anne visited the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan, the world’s only official burial ground for UN forces, where 2,339 service members from 14 countries who fought in the Korean War are buried. Of them, 1,598 were from Commonwealth nations, with 892 from Britain.

She later visited the Busan Port, where Korean Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Nam Jae-heon presented her with a traditional mother-of-pearl chest depicting England’s Pendeen Lighthouse, Korea’s National Lighthouse Museum and the Homigot Lighthouse in Pohang as a gesture of appreciation.

Nam introduced the north port’s history and development process, and the two sides discussed maritime exchanges between Korea and Britain and future visions, the Oceans Ministry said.

“Princess Anne’s visit to Busan Port was a meaningful opportunity to reaffirm the trust that Korea and Britain have built through the sea,” Nam said. “We will continue to expand cooperation with Britain as partners in various maritime fields.”

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]