The Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (the “TCS”) hosted the Farewell and Welcome Reception at Lotte Hotel in Seoul, ROK, on August 28, 2013.
The Reception was held to bid
farewell to Secretary-General, Ambassador SHIN Bong-kil and Deputy Secretaries-General,
Ms. MATSUKAWA Rui and Ms. MAO Ning, as well as to welcome new
Secretary-General, Ambassador IWATANI Shigeo and new Deputy Secretaries-General,
Mr. CHEN Feng and Mr. LEE Jong-heon. In total, more than 200
participants including governmental officials, scholars, business leaders and
journalists joined in this memorable ceremony.
In the Reception, Amb. Shin
delivered his farewell speech, followed by remarks of Ms. Matsukawa and Ms.
Mao. He expressed his sincere gratitude to participants for their warm
supports, and observed that “even
in the face of increasing difficulties in bilateral ties among the three
countries, the TCS took off on a solid footing, and in fact it is fair to say
that our very raison d'être has been reaffirmed, not in spite of, but because
of the challenges we have faced since our launch.”
After that, Amb. Iwatani made inaugural
remarks, expressing his firm determination to make best efforts with new
members to further develop the TCS, and kindly asked participants for their
close attention and continuous supports for the TCS.
Further, to appreciate their
extraordinary dedication and devotion to the TCS since its establishment, ROK
Foreign Minister’s Plaque of Appreciation was presented to the outgoing board
members by Mr. JOE Dae-sik, Deputy Minister for Planning and Coordination, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of ROK.
The TCS is going to enter the second phase of its stage with the new board members on September 1, 2013.
Secretary-General Amb. Shin Bong-kil Delivering Remarks
New Secretary-General Amb. Iwatani Shigeo Delivering Remarks
Amb. Shin Bong-kil and Amb. Iwatani Shigeo
(From left: DSG Ms. Mao Ning; DSG
Ms. Matsukawa Rui; SG Amb. Shin-Bong-kil; new SG Amb. Iwatani Shigeo; new DSG
Mr. CHEN Feng; and new DSG Mr. LEE Jong-heon)
Group Photo with All the TCS Staff
