Korea Overseas Information Service, Korea's Prime Minister on Wednesday visited an aircraft manufacturer in France and hoped for a “win-win” partnership between the aerospace industries of her country and Europe.
“Korea has grown into one of the leading countries in the aerospace field. I think this is much owed to help from Airbus that provides highly efficient but relatively inexpensive planes,” Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook said while inspecting company assembly lines and its head office in Toulouse, south of Paris. “It is of great significance that Korea has diversified its major aircraft supplier from a U.S. manufacturer to a European one.”
Airbus is an aircraft-making arm of the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company, a European aerospace consortium formed by the merger of French, Spanish and German companies.
U.S. manufacturer Boeing has dominated the Korean market for decades, but now, more than 30 percent of the commercial jets being operated by Korea's two flag carriers, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, are from Airbus.
“I hope Korea and France will develop a real win-win partnership through technological cooperation and joint venture projects (in the aerospace field),” the premier said.
Han is on a four-nation tour of Europe that began on Tuesday. Before the visit to Airbus on the second day of her stay here, Han inspected two leading child-care centers in Paris and its vicinity to examine more closely ways to deal with Korea's declining birth rate.
Han pledged a government donation of 500,000 euros (600 million won) when she visited the site of a Korean garden to be constructed at University of Paris 7. The university has appealed for Seoul's support for the project, saying it will be a good opportunity to introduce Korea and its culture to France.
She also visited a building that housed the office for representatives of Korea's government-in-exile in the early 20th century. Korea was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910-1945.
On Thursday, the premier is scheduled to meet with French President Jacques Chirac and her counterpart Dominique de Villepin.
During the meetings, Han will call for the early return of a collection of Korean books looted by French troops 140 years ago, according to officials from her office. French troops took 297 volumes from the royal archives of Korea's Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) during a military incursion on Ganghwa Island in the 19th century. The French government has turned down Seoul's request to return the books.
She is also to attend a ceremony to celebrate the 120th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries later in the day.
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