EU Ambassador Reiterer celebrates Liberation Day

14.08.2020
Seoul

Man with an EU flag in the background

As we mark Liberation Day this year my heart and sympathy goes out to those who have lost loved ones and suffered due to the recent torrential rain and its consequences. Liberation Day, as its Korean language term denotes, is an occasion to remember that as dawn breaks on a new day, darkness is replaced by light. This year, the COVID 19 pandemic has brought challenges of a magnitude we did not expect. Once again, the community spirit of the Korean people has inspired the world. Korea has taken the lead in responding to the pandemic and showing that we can contain it while maintaining democracy and the functioning of the economy. In June, the EU leaders and President Moon used the 10th anniversary of the EU-Korea Strategic Partnership to reconfirm our shared values and our common interests in addressing the impact of COVID 19, climate change and threats to international peace and security. They agreed that these common interests could only be pursued through an international rules based order, underpinned by strong multilateral institutions; that international cooperation must facilitate common solutions that respect the interests of all. As we take this occasion to celebrate the Republic of Korea, I have every reason to believe that the spirit of the Korean people will drive forward its role as a global leader and strategic partner of the European Union, said Michael Reiterer, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Korea. said Michael Reiterer, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Korea.