Kumho-Asiana Group has been going all out to pave the way for smoother ties between Korea and Japan. It has been taking advantage of the various business channels the group has maintained to avert contagion to its air carrier business if bilateral ties keep worsening.
The Kumho-Asiana Cultural Foundation held a Korean speech contest dubbed the 8th Kumho-Asiana Cup Korean Speech Contest Hanmadang Hall at the Korea Cultural Center in Tokyo on March 7. A total of 32 final contestants were chosen from major Japanese cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Kumamoto. The competed final was divided into three parts. The three parts included a speech contest, a two-person skit in Korean, and essays in Japanese. Prizes were given to 17 winners, including Excellence awards for four, Special awards for eight and one Instructor’s award.
All the winners will get a free week-long tour of Korea in July, including to famous historic sites to learn some Korean history. The top four winners will be given a scholarship each to attend the Kyunghee University International Education Institute in Seoul so they can learn more Korean and get to know Korean youths better. Hopefully they tell their family and friends back home how nice it was to stay in Korea.
Kumho-Asiana Group has been holding the events to continue to play the role as a bridge to expand economic exchanges between Korea and Japan, while at the same time it is engaged in a tough task to take back some of its affiliates through mergers and acquisitions involving major affiliates like Asiana Airlines, Kumho Industry, Kumho Express and Kumho Tire.
Last month, the group held Korea-Japan Friendship Exchange events jointly with Korea Tourism Organization to expand exchanges between business firms in the neighboring countries.
Many dignitaries attended the event from both countries. The Korea side was led by Rep. Suh Chung-won, chairman of the Korea-Japan Parliamentary Association, Minister Kim Jong-deok of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Chairman Park Sam-koo of Kumho-Asiana Group, and President Byun Chu-seok of Korea Tourism Organization and the Japanese side led by Diet member Toshihiro Nikai and Minister Shigeto Kubo of the Japanese Tourism Agency among Japanese political and business leaders.
The event was significant in that it took place when diplomatic ties between Korea and Japan worsened over such matters as comfort women. Around 1,400 Japanese political and business leaders, as well as tourism-related officials, visited Korea to attend the event.
The business community has been supportive of Chairman Park’s activities to iron out rough spots in the ties between Korea and Japan.
Lotte Group withdrew its bid to participate in the bidding for Kumho Industry, and so has Shinsegeye as a sign of appreciation for Chairman Park’s devoted effort to turn around the Korea-Japan ties. Kumho Industry, a key affiliate of the group, has been under its creditor management and the creditors wanted to sell the 56 percent stake they hold in the company. Park also asked for sympathy and support for his efforts to take back Kumho Industry from the business community with an explanation for the group’s activities to improve its operation and how far it has come.
Park has also been calling for the construction of an undersea tunnel between Korea and Japan to spur tourism among Korea, China and Japan. At the meeting between the Federation of Korean Industries and Keidanren of Japan held in Korea in August last year, he emphasized that the construction of an undersea tunnel between Korea and Japan should not be delayed because of the worsening political ties between Korea and Japan. Quoting from papers prepared by the Busan Development Institute, Park said the undersea tunnel would create 54 trillion won in productivity, 19 trillion won in value-added work, and 450,000 jobs.
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