The socialist senator for Lanzarote and Fourth Secretary of the Senate, Francisco Manuel Fajardo, has traveled to South Korea as part of the delegation headed by the President of the Senate, who made the institutional visit between September 1 and 3.
The meeting was especially significant because it coincided with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and was the first visit by a Chamber of the Cortes Generales in fourteen years.
The delegation's work agenda began with a meeting with the President of the National Assembly of Korea, Woo Won-shik, in which issues of common interest in the areas of trade, tourism and sustainability were discussed, alluding to the importance of the upcoming inauguration of the Cervantes Institute in Seoul to continue advancing in the cultural and linguistic field. Fajardo highlighted how the historical influence of the Korean fleet in the Canary Islands' fishing industry has had a relevant impact on the economy and development of the sector.
Since the mid-20th century, South Korea has established agreements with Spain for the use of Canary Islands ports, opening the door to technical and commercial exchanges that have marked fishing cooperation between the two countries.
On the second day, the representatives of the Senate met with the Spanish Ambassador to Korea, Julio Herraiz, highlighting the excellent state of relations between the two countries and the Spain-South Korea bilateral investments in strategic sectors such as electric vehicles, energy or petrochemicals. The delegation also held a meeting with the president of the Spanish-Korean Friendship Group, Lee In-young, a meeting in which issues such as water management, cooperation in the field of tourism and the reduction of trade barriers were discussed.
The third day began with a tour of the LG science park in Seoul, the largest in the country, which concentrates cutting-edge projects in artificial intelligence and technologies applied to the energy transition. Finally, the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating North Korea and South Korea was visited, where the delegation learned firsthand about the security situation on the Korean peninsula.