President Park wins highest marks in summit diplomacy

On the first question, the respondents gave the following answers:
Diplomacy: 56.2
Welfare policy: 34.2
Economy: 32.1
North Korea policy: 29.4
On the second question, he people made the following responses:
Handling of Sewol Ferry Case: 54.9
Economy: 37.8
Personnel recruitment: 36.6
Welfare policy: 25.8.

President Park will visit Canada from September 20 to 22 to meet with Governor General of Canada David Johnston and hold summit talks with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The two leaders will finalize the conclusion of the Korea-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Both leaders will discuss measures to substantially bolster bilateral cooperation in energy, natural resources, science, technology, developing the Arctic, people-to-people exchanges and other cultural spheres. They will also exchange their opinions on global issues, such as issues involving the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia, human rights and cooperation on economic development.

President Park will then head to New York on September 23 to attend the U.N. Climate Summit 2014, the 69th session of the U.N. General Assembly and other related high-ranking meetings. At the U.N. climate summit, the president will explain the ongoing efforts being undertaken by the Korean government, which regards our response to climate change as being one of the core tasks to develop the creative industries and to generate economic growth. She will also outline the role that can be played by the Korean government to bridge the gap between developed and developing economies.

The president will also attend the 69th session of the U.N. General Assembly meeting on September 24 where she will reaffirm Seoul’s will to contribute to the main objectives of the U.N., to promote world peace, security, human rights and social and economic development. In her speech, she will also call for the extended understanding and support of the international community as her nation realizes the Korean Peninsula trust-building process, works toward a peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula and develops her administration`s Northeast Asian peace vision.

On the same day, the president will attend a high-level meeting of the Global Education First Initiative and give a speech on behalf of its "champion countries." At the meeting, hosted by the U.N. secretary-general, she will explain Korea`s education policies and strategies, and the global contributions it makes as being the host country for the World Education Forum 2015, and Korea’s goal to spread a new education agenda around the world.

Finally, the president will attend a Security Council Summit chaired by U.S. President Barack Obama on the issue of international terrorists. As the first Korean head of state to attend such a summit, Park will underline the need for international cooperation to address the growing threat of terrorists in the Middle East and discuss ways in which Korea can contribute.

Park welcomed the SAP co-founder`s visit to Korea on September 3 and said, "SAP’s big data technology capability greatly helped Germany to win the Brazil World Cup."

"Chairman Plattner’s leadership played a crucial role in making the original technology developed at Seoul National University into a world-leading software product. I expect your support so that such cooperation can create more successful cases between the two countries," said the president.

The SAP co-founder said in response that his company has been successfully carrying out business in Korea.

"We hope to strengthen bilateral cooperation by deepening our collaboration not only with companies but also with the government," said Plattner. He explained that the "in-memory database technology" project is one of SAP`s technology strengths, while praising the performance of the Korean research team with which the firm worked.

President Park called for SAP to play an active part in the domestic economy so that more Korean software developers and promising venture start-ups would be able to penetrate the international marketplace, combining their innovative products with the German company’s global position in the software industry.

SAP is one of the leading European providers of enterprise software and services. The firm makes software products for companies that help them with database and information management. Its clients include IBM and Microsoft.

On the same day, SAP announced its plan to establish a "Design Thinking Innovation Center" in the Techno Valley in Pangyo, Gyeonggi-do (Gyeonggi Province), in order to incubate software start-ups and innovative entrepreneurs.

Meeting participants included Marie Helene Brasseur, a Belgian doctor who has been providing medical services to the unprivileged in Korea for 42 years. Other attendees have been offering similar forms of services to society, including volunteer services, talent sharing and life-saving donations, such as organ donations.

President Park highly valued their good deeds, saying that, "People say, `Happiness becomes bigger when it is shared." I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all of you who are creating hope and happiness in society."

"The people of Korea have a long history of mutually helping each other and of sharing love for our neighbors. Through this, we were able to stand up again without falling into despair, despite obstacles like the ashes of war and financial crises," said the president.

"Some people believe society is becoming heartless. Thanks to people like you, however, who practice sharing quietly, I think we can still have a lot of hope in the world."

"One of the important obligations of the government, I believe, is to remove the blind areas surrounding welfare so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of welfare across the country," said the president. Welfare policy must focus on the unprivileged, including people with disabilities, children of families without parents and underfed children, she emphasized.

"As the saying goes, `Many drops make a shower.` When each of you practice the act of sharing with a needy neighbor, we can make Korea a warmer country where all can live together happily," said the president.

"When the seeds of sharing and love that you have sown sprout and grow tall, society will become a warmer, better place in which to live."

The Busan International Finance Center is a 63-story landmark which will house the key public corporations of the financial sector, including the Korea Exchange, the Korea Asset Management Corporation and the Korea Securities Depository.

“A marine finance office will also move in at the center next month,” said the president. The office she mentioned will provide a one-stop service in cooperation with the related bureaus of the Korea Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank of Korea and the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation. President Park said that a guarantee agency for shipping companies will be built in the city by the end of this year. She predicted that Busan’s status as a financial hub of marine and shipping will be raised thanks to the establishment of such shipping and marine finance institutions.

“The government will bolster Busan’s role as a center of derivative products by listing various financial derivatives through the Korea Exchange. We will also actively foster markets for general products such as oil, gold and carbon emissions,” said the president.

President Park emphasized the importance of the financial sector by saying, “Finance has a potential to make quality jobs. It is one of the most popular areas of the service industry in which youths hope to work.” She also said the finance sector is one of key parts of her creative economy vision.

The president expressed her hope, “Busan can be developed into one of the leading financial cities in Asia if we maximize its strength as an international logistics hub with strong industrial infrastructure and activate its financial functions specialized in marine and derivative products.”

President Park told Choi, “The upcoming games holds meaning as it will be the fourth Asian Games in which all Asian countries will take part. I hope all of you can do your best to achieve your goal and give the people hope.”

She then looked around the gymnasiums of the center to meet athletes competing in taekwondo, fencing, weightlifting and gymnastics. The taekwondo athletes gave her an autographed Taegeukgi, the Korean national flag, as a gift. They told her “We will do our best to meet the status of Korea as the country of origin of taekwondo.”

President Park asked gymnast Yang Hak-seon, gold medalist in the Guangzhou Asian Games 2010 and the London Olympics 2012, about his physical condition, training routine, preparation for the games and new techniques. She highly valued the endeavors of all athletes by saying, “I know you are endowed with talent but you must have made strenuous efforts. I hope you can play well with confidence to impress and delight the people. I am sure your sweat will bring the desired outcome.”

President Park met with fencers Nam Hyun-hee and Shin A-lam at the center. “You are all world-class athletes. I cannot forget the last one second of Shin’s match at the London Olympics. I will cheer you all a lot.”