Ambassador and Mrs. Krzysztof Majka of the Republic of Poland in Seoul hosted a reception at their residence in Seongbuk-dong on July 11, 2014 to confer the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland on former Korean Ambassador Paek Young-sun in Poland.
The dinner was attended by Korean and international guests who included Elisabeth Bertagnoli of Austria , Nikoloz Apkhazava of Georgia, Zoran Kazazovic of Serbia and Calin Fabian of Romania, mostly accompanied by their spouses. There also were Maj. Gen. Urs Gerber (Swiss member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission), First Secretary Grzegorz Kowal of Poland, Mrs. Hanna Rybarska (spouse of Counsellor Grzegorz Rybarski of the Polish Embassy), and Assistant Ms. Soon-Hyung Kim to the Polish ambassador. From the business circlems came Director Jacki Cheon of Kukje Maritime Investment Corporation and from the media Publisher-Chairman Lee Kyung-sik of The Korea Post.
Excerpts from the speech follow:
It is my pleasure and honor, on behalf of the President of the Republic of Poland HE Bronislaw Komorowski, to confer the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland on Ambassador Paek Young-Sun. I am very happy that I can fulfill my honorable task in front of such a distinguished audience.
The Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland is bestowed on foreigners and Polish citizens permanently living abroad, who by their activities have made outstanding contributions to international cooperation and to bonds between the Republic of Poland and other nations and countries and as such is often referred as a traditional “diplomatic order”.
The Commander’s Cross distinction is awarded by the President of Poland on His own initiative or upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister or Minister of Foreign Affairs, in the event the recipient permanently resides abroad or is not a Polish citizen.
Ambassador Paek Young-Sun presented his credentials to the President of Poland on 11th of April 2012. During his tenure with his superior interpersonal skills, knowledge, experience, diplomatic professionalism and dynamic leadership he greatly contributed to the strengthening of bilateral relations between Poland and Korea in many sectors of political, economic, security and cultural activities. During ambassador’s mission in Poland many important initiatives have been implemented in the above areas. The most important one, however, was the personal contribution of ambassador Paek to organizing a successful state visit to Seoul of the Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski in October 2013. During that visit a Declaration on Strategic Partnership between Poland and Korea has been instituted and now is being implemented. Ambassador Paek, through His accomplishments, gained the highest appreciation of the Polish authorities. Although Poland and Korea are in geographical terms far away countries ? but through the dedicated and committed mission of ambassador Paek we have become much closer to each other in understanding our cultures and developing friendly relations, for the benefit of our nations.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Now, following the decision of the President of Poland, HE Bronislaw Komorowski, I will confer the Commander’s Cross with Star on Ambassador Paek Young-Sun .
I have also a pleasure of conveying my own congratulations to the ambassador and his family and wish him all round success in all His future endeavors.
Decoration!