□ Receiving the award in recognition of his lifelong devotion to friendly cooperation between the two countries
"An event was held to recognize the lifelong efforts of Honorary Chairman CHO Seok-rae of Hyosung in promoting friendly relations between Korea and Japan, as well as his contributions to the economic development of Korea."
On August 31, Mr. CHO Seok-rae was presented with the 8th Korea-Japan Forum Award at the 31st Korea-Japan Forum[1] held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
Said award is given annually to an individual or an organization contributing to the future-oriented development of mutual relations between Korea and Japan and paving the way for new cooperative relations between the two countries.
Those who have received the award are: △ former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kong Roh-myung; △ Ms. SHIN Yun-chan, mother of Mr. LEE Su-hyeon who saved a Japanese national at the expense of his life on the subway in 2001; and △ the Busan Culture Foundation, which strived to register records of Korean royal envoys dispatched to Japan with the UNESCO as cultural heritage, etc.
The Forum expressed respect and gratitude to Mr. CHO Seok-rae, noting how he has contributed to its development over the past century as a business leader and an excellent private diplomat as one of its founding members and the one who has developed Hyosung into a global business. It also pointed to the fact that he has worked really hard to maintain friendly cooperation between the two countries and improve bilateral relations, serving as △ Chairman of the Korea-Japan Economic Association, △ Chairman of the Korea-Japan Cooperation Foundation for Industry and Technology, △ Representative of the Korean side of the Korea-Japan Business Council, △ Chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, etc.
□ CHO Seok-rae: “We should strive to put an end to obstacles associated with the way people view the history of the two countries and bring about reconciliation between the people of the two countries.”
On that day, Hyosung Chairman CHO Hyun-joon was at the ceremony to receive the award on behalf of his father, Mr. CHO Seok-rae, and read the statement prepared by his father: “It is a good thing to see that the bilateral relations are improving noticeably, compared to the time when the Forum was started. I feel grateful to those at the Forum who have strived for the development of bilateral relations.” He also pointed out that there is still a big gap in the way people of the two countries view their history, asking that the Forum continue to strive for reconciliation through the effort to put an end to such issues and persuade the people of each country to understand the other side’s position.
□ CHO Seok-rae attending all sessions of the annual Forum since the first year, 1993
Mr. CHO Seok-rae has attended all sessions of the Forum since it started in 1993, showing affection for it.
He was the first to propose the co-hosting of the 2002 FIFA World Cup by Japan and Korea in the midst of the fierce competition between the two countries to host it. He also pushed for the reciprocal visa waiver, launch of the Korea-Japan Committee for Joint Historical Research, re-opening of the Gimpo-Haneda international flight, etc.
In 2009, Mr. CHO Seok-rae received the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, the highest medal presented by the Japanese government to a civilian, in recognition of the major role he played in the promotion of economic cooperation between the two countries. In June 2022, he received the YoungSan Diplomat of the Year Award from the Seoul Forum for International Affairs in recognition of his contribution to the expansion of the country’s economic cooperation with other countries including the signing of the ROK-US FTA, reciprocal visa waiver between Korea and the United States, technological exchange agreement between Korea and Japan, etc.
[1] The Korea-Japan Forum was started with the 1993 Korea-Japan Summit serving as momentum. It is held annually in Korea and Japan alternately to promote wider dialogs between the people of the two countries. The Korea Foundation and the Japan Center for International Exchange are playing a leading role in its operation.
