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| President Moon Jae-in speaks as his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen listens on during a press conference at the Hofburg, Vienna, the latter’s official residence, Monday (local time). Yonhap |
By Nam Hyun-woo, Joint Press Corps
President Moon Jae-in said, Monday (local time), Seoul will actively consider supplying COVID-19 vaccines to Pyongyang if the regime accepts his offer.
Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen also agreed with Moon’s comment, saying the country will also provide help to North Korea if Pyongyang showed “signs.”
“If South Korea can become a global hub for the manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, North Korea will surely be one of our cooperative partners,” Moon said during a press conference after a summit with his Austrian counterpart in Vienna. “If the North agrees, we will actively provide vaccines to North Korea. The U.S. is also showing its backing for humanitarian cooperation on North Korea.”
The remarks came after the leaders discussed methods of establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula during a summit. Upon Moon’s request for Austria’s continued support for his administration’s efforts to establish peace on the peninsula, Van der Bellen said that he understood Seoul’s efforts and reaffirmed Austria’s support for his peace drive.
Van der Bellen also said the world can overcome the COVID-19 pandemic if all countries share their efforts, and this was also the case for North Korea. He said he was not sure what North Korea’s stance on receiving vaccines from other countries was, but Austria would provide help if Pyongyang requested it.
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| President Moon Jae-in listens to his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen as they walk in the Holfburg, Vienna, the latter’s official residence, Monday. Yonhap |
Moon arrived in Vienna, Sunday, for a three-day state visit to Austria. This is the first visit by a Korean president to Austria since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in 1892, though they have developed reciprocal relations in various fields. Cheong Wa Dae said the visit was a reciprocal one for Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s visit to Korea in 2019.
During the summit, the leaders agreed to strengthen the two countries’ cooperation in advanced technologies and climate change responses as well. In a separate meeting with Chancellor Kurz later in the day, Moon agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a “strategic partnership,” and pledged to harness Austria’s prowess in scientific research and Korea’s leadership in commercialization.
“Austria and South Korea share common values such as democracy, human rights and market economy, and they have developed their partnerships in various fields of culture, art, science and technology,” Moon said. “In opening the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the two countries are seeing each other as very important partners.”
Trade between Korea and Austria stood at $2.89 billion in 2018. It declined to $2.42 billion in 2019, but bounced back to $2.69 billion in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Against this backdrop, the two leaders agreed to combine Austria’s scientific capabilities in advanced industrial sectors and Korea’s strengths in the commercialization of new products, in order to pursue complementary outcomes.
Austria is one of the world’s leading powerhouses in basic science, having 17 Nobel Prize laureates in the science categories. Based on this background, the country is home to more than 100 “hidden champions,” which refer to companies positioned among the top three in the global market in their respective fields, with revenue not exceeding $4 billion. Cheong Wa Dae said that Moon’s visit would be an opportunity for South Korea and Austria to enhance exchanges in innovative technologies and eco-friendly future industries.
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| President Moon Jae-in and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz pose during their meeting at the latter’s office in Vienna, Monday (local time). Yonhap |
After the summit, Moon and Van der Bellen signed an agreement on cultural cooperation between the two countries. Separately, Moon and Chancellor Kurz signed a protocol on double taxation avoidance between South Korea and Austria.
During a separate press conference, Kurz complimented South Korea on “a huge success” in dealing with the pandemic, and said its prowess in the info-tech industry contributed to a successful quarantine. He added Austria wants to use Korea’s experience as a reference.
Moon is now on a trip to European countries, to strengthen Korea’s diplomatic presence during this later stage of his presidency. Before Austria, Moon attended the G7 summit in the United Kingdom, and will fly to Spain to meet King Felipe VI, Tuesday.
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