Kim Dong-yeon Meets John Whittingdale, UK Trade Envoy... "Cooperation on Climate Change and Future Advanced Industries"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon (far right) is meeting with John Whittingdale, British Trade Envoy, at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government on the 9th. Photo by Gyeonggi Province

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, met with John Whittingdale, UK Trade Envoy, to discuss future economic cooperation between Gyeonggi Province and the UK in areas such as RE100 (100% renewable energy use) climate change response and future advanced industries.

On the afternoon of the 9th, Governor Kim met with Trade Envoy Whittingdale, who visited the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office, and expressed, "I hope Gyeonggi Province and the UK can cooperate more closely and practically. Last year, I had many discussions with Colin Crooks, the British Ambassador to Korea, and Nigel Topping, the Climate Envoy, but beyond that, I hope practical cooperation progresses in semiconductors and various future advanced industries."

He continued, "Since my inauguration, I have been creating measures for RE100 and climate change response, and to develop practical and realistic alternatives, I want to seek cooperation from the UK, which is far ahead in this area." He added, "Already, 28 large companies have declared RE100, but declarative efforts alone are not enough.

There is an urgent need to achieve progress in the renewable energy sector. I hope to establish more cooperative relationships with the UK and for Gyeonggi Province to learn know-how," he emphasized.

He also said, "Gyeonggi Province accounts for over 80% of Korea's semiconductor production and 45% of the bio-industry output, making it the optimal region for cooperation with the UK." He added, "Personally, while working in the central government, I had many exchanges and cooperation with the UK and have maintained good friendships with former British Ambassadors to Korea. I hope that this visit by the Trade Envoy will lead to much cooperation in the semiconductor industry and climate change response."

In response, Trade Envoy Whittingdale explained the reason for his visit, saying, "As you know, I am the Trade Envoy for Korea appointed by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister’s appointment of a Trade Envoy for Korea shows that the UK government values its relationship with Korea. I have heard that Gyeonggi Province is a very important region in Korea, so I am very pleased to meet the Governor today."

He continued, "The UK government recently reorganized to establish a government department dedicated to energy and climate change and is seeking cooperation with Korean companies related to renewable energy. I believe this is a field for cooperation between the two countries. I also understand that Gyeonggi Province is making various efforts toward net zero, and since Gyeonggi companies are already actively operating in the UK, I hope more exchanges will take place in the future," he responded.

Net zero means that the net amount of carbon dioxide emissions is '0' when the amount emitted and the amount removed are combined; it is also called carbon zero.

The two also exchanged various opinions on regional balanced development, human exchanges, and cultural and artistic exchanges.

In particular, when Governor Kim revealed plans for human exchange programs for youth, Envoy Whittingdale showed active interest by introducing UK university programs as exchange destinations.

Trade Envoy Whittingdale has served as a member of the UK House of Commons since 1992 and was appointed as the Trade Envoy for Korea in May last year to promote trade, investment, and cooperation between Korea and the UK. This meeting was arranged by the British Embassy in Korea.

Since his inauguration, Governor Kim has met with key figures in UK politics and business, including British Ambassador to Korea Colin Crooks, Climate Envoy Nigel Topping, and Carlos Monreal, CEO of Plastic Energy, to discuss cooperation between the two regions.

Ambassador Crooks attended the DMZ Peace Walk event in October last year and continued a special relationship by attending the Korea-UK Association event in November, where Governor Kim gave a speech.

Based on this cooperative relationship with the British Embassy in Korea, the province expects to carry out dense collaboration in various fields such as economy, investment, trade, and carbon neutrality.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.