The Art should be enjoyed by all ?

[Jay]

​

The Republic of Korea would look eagerly to see the return of Prime Minister Wim Kok as Prime Minister of The Netherlands. The two nations a far distance apart were still closely linked friend and partners. Both were far similar than different, and both shared a similar history together from the modern era. The new sun that rose over The Hague would come with it the brith of a possibly long lasting relationship. In Seoul, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & the Blue House would coordinate the transfer of a gift to the Dutch Government for Korean-Dutch Relations. Morning would eclipse Seoul as the work day began. The work day for civil servants had begun as they entered their offices. For the team tasked with the transfer of the gift, they would be assembling. The Korean Government officials and protocol agents gathered at the Ministry to inspect the artwork and ensure it was ready. The Republic of Korea Embassy in The Hague would be notified of the delivery to ensure the diplomatic cargo was not damaged or inspected and protected. After following through with the proper facilitation requirements, the Vice Minister would confirm the gift and the associated letter from the Blue House.

At the Korean Embassy in The Hague would be preparing to transfer the gift as the special items arrived from Seoul. The male cultural attache would head to receive the package after it was delivered and made sure to deliver it to the Ambassador who would have it sent to the Dutch Prime Minister's office. The Ambassador would thank his staff for their overnight efforts as he handed the package to an Embassy transporter and courier to deliver. A protocol team would accompany the courier as they headed to the Dutch Prime Minister's office. The drive to the Prime Ministers Office was not long as traffic was still light. The agents and courier would arrive on time to their listed schedule and would deliver the gift to the Dutch Prime Minister. The official valuation, origins, and the letter were attached and protocol agents ensure it was recorded as delivered before leaving it with the Dutch to ensure it was delivered to the Prime Minister. The Koreans would leave after and return to the Embassy.

"We are not immune to faults and mistakes, but together we can ensure we do not go at life alone. Je Bent Neit Alleen, 넌 혼자가 아니야"
- H.E. Kim Dae-jung, President of the Republic of Korea
​

Dear Prime Minister Kok,

Our shared history in rebuilding our countries in the aftermath of the devastating wars of the 20th century, striving to adjust for the hardships and the building of a nation for our citizens. The Netherlands is a country of significant importance to both the contemporary and older history of Korea. When interactions between Dutch explores in Asia brought them to Jeju. In contemporary history, The Hague, the city of international peace and justice, is the place where Korea’s royal emissary Yi Jun passed away after his attempts to declare independence of Korea at the Second Hague Peace Conference in 1907 went in vain. In the 1950s our two counties’ relationship was deepened with noble sacrifice of Dutch veterans who fought for freedom and democracy during the Korean War. Since then, our two countries established bilateral relations in 1961. Korea and the Netherlands have been closely cooperating in various fields. We share the common values of free trade, democracy, multilateralism, and rule of law. We are important economic partners, and we have significant cultural, educational, and people-to-people exchanges. I hope that we can continue this legacy of partnership and cooperation. We can achieve more together than alone. I look forward to the birth of a strong and special relationship between Korea and The Netherlands.

Kind regards,
Kim Dae-jung

 

[Tim]

A personal assistant to the Prime Minister had been in contact with the Korean embassy regarding the delivery of the artwork. Upon the arrival of the Koreans the assistant called the Prime Minister's office directly and invited him to come to the courtyard at the Binnenhof where they were receiving the artwork and attached letter.

The Prime Minister thanked the Korean deliverer for the personal delivery. The artwork was taken inside the Ministry of General affairs were it was unwrapped by some aides who temporarily hung it in one of the meeting rooms which had spare wall place. The attached letter was taken off and given to the addressed Prime Minister Wim Kok who took it to his office in the Torentje.

He would open the letter and read it carefully, going over it a few times before starting to write a response.

---

Dear President Kim Dae-Jung,

It is with great pleasure that I received the artwork you sent us. This beautiful work of art resembles for us a deep truth, that we as politicians are still people and still make mistakes. Trying to hide those mistakes is criminal, avoiding them is only possible by not doing anything worthwhile. This means that we must try what we think is best for our country, and adapt if we find something different.

In regards to our mutual relationship, I would be delighted to invite your Ambassador to the Netherlands to the Ministry of General Affairs so we can discuss Korean-Dutch relationships and work on a bright future for our two countries. My ministry will get in contact with your ambassador to find a suitable meeting date, afterwards me and your ambassador will update you and the rest of your government on what we want to proceed with.

I hope that one day soon we can meet in person, however with a change in government going on a large scale visit for me personally will have to wait for the summer.

Yours sincerely,


Wim Kok

---

The letter would be sent by encrypted fax to the Blue House. An aide from the Ministry of General Affairs would call the Korean embassy. "Our Prime Minister hopes to host your ambassador in the next week to discuss Korean-Dutch relations. Would he be available on Wednesday? This leaves enough time to communicate with the appropriate Korean government agencies about their plans so he has an idea about the discussions."

Jay

 

[Jay]

The Republic of Korea Embassy would receive the invitation and the Ambassador's secretary would schedule a meeting with the Dutch Government. The Embassy would be anticipating the meeting and the Ambassador up to date on Korean-Dutch relations and the strategic relationship sought by Seoul with The Hague. The Embassy would hold a number of internal meetings with its Bureau Chiefs in Seoul. The Embassy staff would compile a list of items the Ambassador would have to do that day, including his luncheon with members of the Dutch-Korean relations and meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister. His first item was calling the Foreign Minister. The day would progress slowly as the staff just watched the clock, occasionally filing papers and updating their digital logs. That day had been particularly slowly as the protocol staff had taken over the meeting agenda. The Security at the Embassy would complete their sweep of the residence in their daily routine. Before checking the mission for any bugs or wiretapping and cleared the Ambassadors office and Embassy buildings. The Ambassador's team would arrive in a conference room where the Ambassador and Foreign Minister discussed the parameters of the strategic partnership and vision for strong relations.

The Chief of the Mission security would sit in his office alone as he reviewed a list of threats and notices from the Dutch government and from the Foreign Ministry. The Ambassador would thank his staff and exit the mission and go to his motorcade where his Dutch security and Korean bodyguards were waiting. He got into his government vehicle as he headed to the Dutch Prime Minister's office. Before they got on, the Ambassador feeling the weather permitted it, instead opted to walk to the Embassy. His Security detail was particularly livid about the idea, but, the attempts and percussions did not work and the security detail and aides would bear the consequences as they walked across the city. After about ten minutes, feeling bad for his staff they would get into the motorcade slowly creeping behind them and would drive to the Prime Minister's office. As he neared the Prime Minister's residence, he would adjust his tie and suit. The motorcade would arrive at the front gate of the Prime Minister's Residence where after being inspected the Ambassador would arrive and exit the vehicle. The Ambassador would wait briefly as the Dutch staff at the Office of the Prime Minister escorted him inside and accompanied him. He and his three staff would join them. As they waited the Ambassador would get to know the Dutch staffers names as he spoke in Dutch with them.

Tim

 

[Tim]

Upon arrival at the Binnenhof the ambassador would be greeted by an employee of the Ministry of General Affairs who greeted him in Dutch, knowing the ambassador was Dutch. "The Prime Minister is awaiting you in his office, I'll take you there."
They walked through the inside of the Ministry building at the Binnenhof until they arrived in the relatively small office of the Prime Minister. Two large chairs were located in front of the desk, with a coffee table in front of it. The Prime Minister would open the door after the knocking of the ministry employee and welcome the Ambassador, shaking his hand. "Good day Mister Ambassador, it's a pleasure to meet you. Take a seat, do you want something to drink?" he asked, having tea, coffee, and water ready in his office.

Jay

 

[Jay]

"Please, let us not keep him waiting." The Ambassador smiled as he and civil servant talked a little as they walked towards the office of the Prime Minister. After the door was opened he shook hands with Prime Minister Kok as he was invited inside. "Good morning Prime Minister Kok. The pleasure is all mine." The Ambassador smiled as he and the Prime Minister exchanged pleasantries. "No, I am okay, thank you Prime Minister." The Ambassador said as he took a seat next to the Prime Minister.


Tim

 

[Tim]

"It's a pleasure to be able to meet with you in person. I'm so glad that we have so much ambassadors here as discussing matters such as cooperation are just so much more easier in person versus via the phone or through e-mail," after this short monologue he went back to the topic at hand. "But we're not here to talk about that, we're here to talk about the diplomatic relationship between our countries." He took a notebook on his lap with a pencil, with some pre-written notes already in it. "Please let me know what topics you want to discuss today, so we can go through them in an orderly manner. I'll add any if I feel the need,"

Jay

 

[Jay]

"Thank you Prime Minister Kok. I hope we could discuss advancing trade relations between Korea and The Netherlands and working together to achieve a number of issues on visa-free travel, security cooperation, and a strategic partnership between The Netherlands and Korea. His Excellency President Kim holds The Netherlands in high regards and a standard of development the Korean Government wishes to espouse towards, one where freedom, liberty, economic inclusion, and progress are at the forefront. I hope we can cooperate together Prime Minister."

Tim

 

[Tim]

"Of course, these are all topics we are eager to work together on. We are currently working on re-establishing and strenghtening our relationships and this fits perfectly into that." He wrote the different topics down on the first page of the notebook he was using, as a sort of agenda for the meeting. "I believe those topics are enough to get us started, and I don't have anything crucial to add right now so shall we just start with the first one, trade?" As he said this he looked through the few pieces of paper next to his chair and took the two copies of the trade details out and gave them to the Korean ambassador. "These are the current exports and tariffs of both our countries. I believe its best to begin with what goods we're both interested in. For us that is especially semiconductors, automobile and parts and electronic goods."

---

REPUBLIC OF KOREA

1. Tungsten 2. Molybdenum 3. Semiconductors 4. Automobile and Parts 5. Electronic Goods

$4,000,000.00​ $3,200,000.00​ $2,000,000.00​ $4,000,000.00​ $4,500,000.00​

---

KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

1. Food and Livestock 2. Chemicals 3. Manufactured goods 4. Flowers 5. Machinery and Transport Equipment

$3,500,000.00​ $4,500,000.00​ $4,000,000.00​ $2,000,000.00​ $2,750,000.00​

---

Jay

 

[Jay]

"Yes, trade works perfect for us. On the first portion over what the Republic of Korea can offer, we hope a separate trade route carrying Tungsten can be delivered to the Netherlands. Damen is becoming a global titan in shipbuilding and while Hyundai Heavy Industries is competing with Damen, the export of Tungsten would help bolster the shipbuilding industry in the Netherlands. Primarily for specific ships, Tungsten which is extremely corrosion-resistant. Through mixing it with chemical properties, the primary source can become much more resistant against both corrosion and deformation. Aside from this, we would be happy to sign an agreement on exchanging the requested goods. We hope that Korean automobile companies such as Hyundai and KIA will be able to supply ships to the Netherlands without a quota-basis and reducing the tariffs applied on foreign vehicles imported abroad. As you know Prime Minister, reducing tariffs is an important step in expanding market access and allowing foreign corporations to be competitive in the domestic market. We hope that a mutual tariff agreement can be proposed to ensure that Korean electronics companies semi-conductors supplies can remain competitive against nearby European states. On the issue of semiconductors, its military applications are almost quintessential. We hope that we can assist the Dutch Armed Forces through continuing to supply high quality semiconductors. On the issue of what we would like to important, we do hope that we can import Chemicals, Manufactured goods, and flowers. These would help boost our local economic development and expand our consumption rates at the same time increasing competitiveness in the domestic market. We hope that this arrangement is appropriate for you Prime Minister Kok."

Tim

 

[Tim]

"Oh yes, that is not something I have considered. I'm sure Damen and our other shipbuilders will gladly take an increase in imports of tungsten so we can add that to the list of potential trade routes. A free trade agreement indeed sounds good, under the condition that the deal we strike is a mutually beneficial one." He circled the three exports and four imports (all except molybdenum) and calculated their tariffs in his head. "I believe this leaves about a four million difference with the Korean goods being of a higher total price. We could opt for a double shipment for one of the Dutch goods, removal of one of the four Korean exports, or we could of course opt to ignore this difference. What do you feel is most appropriate and best for your countries economy?"

Jay

 

[Jay]

"We believe that option for a free trade agreement and agreeing to remove these tariffs ultimately means that the companies importing Korean goods would pay the difference without an additional tax and vice versa. We would believe ignoring the difference, of course if that is okay with you, would be beneficial as the products we are supplying are half primary goods to be used in Dutch goods such as machinery, ships, etc...which would make up for the Korean surplus in the export/import ratio between our countries. Which, as you know, with the growing titan industry of shipbuilding of Damen is set to generate billions in jobs, which hopefully will solidify ROK-Dutch relations in the mutually beneficial area of shipbuilding for trade and cargo. We believe that not taking any tariffs is the best policy and would not wish to collect the $4 million in duties from Korean exports covered under the free trade agreement."

Tim

 

[Tim]

"I believe this is reasonable. The removal of tariffs will lower the boundaries for this trade and hopefully give companies enough trust to start relying on products from both our countries so we can solidify our trade relationship. As for the technical details of the shipment, we will need one tanker, a bulk carrier, 4 container carriers and one car carrier if I'm not mistaken. How would these be distributed between our two countries? Damen is able to supply all ships but the car carrier, and since the automobiles are only a Korean export I hope that the Republic of Korea can provide this. As for the rest of the ships, how do you think they should be distributed? We could also let one country produce a larger quantity of them with a payment from the other. What are your thoughts?"

Jay

 

[Jay]

"Hopefully this will link Koreans and the Dutch closer together as our products end up in each other countries. As well as corporate cooperation. On the technical aspects, Yes, this is my understanding as well. With regards to the procurement of the vessels, Hyundai Heavy Merchants produces vessels that can act both as bulk carriers and container ships. For the technical aspect, HHI can provide a bulk carrier to bring Tungsten from Korea to The Netherlands and on its return act as a container ship. While this may be inefficient in terms of time, it would be far less expensive in the long-term than procurement of an additional cargo ship. We would propose that HHI provide the car carrier, the bulk container, and a container ship, while Damen can provide the remaining three cargo ships. Seeing as both our countries have our own respective shipbuilding corporations, it would be in our opinion better to split the costs in producing half of the vessels each. Onto a separate issue, if I may your Excellency, which vessels carry what and the frequency, is perhaps an area we can discuss as well."

Tim

 

[Tim]

The Prime Minister nodded. "The same goes for me, with the advance of trade also comes more tourism and the exchange of cultures and that is something beautiful that will hopefully bring our countries together." He nodded to the comments regarding the ships. "Understandable, time is money but of course a small delay is cheaper than a new cargo ship which I can imagine to be quite expensive. So if you already have ships in service that would be wonderful. And we can certainly get three container ships from Damen. As for the frequency, we think that for such a large distance line a monthly delivery would be best. However this is open to discussion if you have other wishes."

Jay​

 

[Jay]

"We'd prefer the shipments be made weekly, given the distance, the supply line would be more available as opposed to the monthly delivery which the distance would cause longer times for arrival. Although, if this is your preference, we do not have any big issue with that. If I may your excellency, On the ideas of tourism and cultural exchanges, H.E. President Kim has hoped to advanced ROK-Dutch cultural relations through support for a Korean School in Amsterdam, visa-free policies, and perhaps allowing The Cultural Ministry to advertise its recent push for travel to Korea."

Tim

 

[Tim]

"Either are fine with us. If your preference lies with weekly shipments I believe that is very acceptable to us." From his notes he made a table with all information. "I believe this sums it all up. You didn't mention the ports, and those might differ per good. Please fill in the rest of the table. I left out the interval as we discussed all of them to be weekly, and the countries listed are the one that provide the vehicle, and should in my believe also file the paperwork for that trade route. Please also let me know if anything is wrong,"

He gave the ambassador time to fill in all the details, and to ask any questions, and decided to wait with continuing with the cultural topic to ensure everything was correct so he could send it to the relevant ministry.

Ned	Container Carrier 1	Manufactured goods (Rotterdam > _____)	Semiconductors (Return)
Ned	Container Carrier 2	Flowers (Rotterdam > _____)	Electronic Goods (Return)
Kor	Tanker	Chemicals (Rotterdam > _____)
Kor	Bulk Carrrier	Tungsetn (_____ > Rotterdam)
Kor	Car Carrier	Automobile and Parts (____ > Rotterdam)

OOC: CODE

[table=collapse][tr][td]Ned[/td][td]Container Carrier 1[/td][td]Manufactured goods (Rotterdam > _____)[/td][td]Semiconductors (Return)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Ned[/td][td]Container Carrier 2[/td][td]Flowers (Rotterdam > _____)[/td][td]Electronic Goods (Return)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Kor[/td][td]Tanker[/td][td]Chemicals (Rotterdam > _____)[/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Kor[/td][td]Bulk Carrrier[/td][td]Tungsetn (_____ > Rotterdam)[/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Kor[/td][td]Car Carrier[/td][td]Automobile and Parts (____ > Rotterdam)[/td][td][/td][/tr][/table]

Jay

 

[Jay]

"Ah yes. Please forgive me for that error. Thank you for the beautiful template." After filling in the details, and he handed it back with his hands to Prime Minister. "Everything else seems to be in order. Shall we discuss the other topics?"

Ned	Container Carrier 1	Manufactured goods (Rotterdam > Seoul)	Semiconductors (Return)
Ned	Container Carrier 2	Flowers (Rotterdam > Nampo)	Electronic Goods (Return)
Kor	Tanker	Chemicals (Rotterdam > Busan)
Kor	Bulk Carrrier	Tungsetn (Nampo > Rotterdam)
Kor	Car Carrier	Automobile and Parts (Rason > Rotterdam)

Tim

 

[Tim]

The Prime Minister nodded and took the file. He called in a secretary and asked her to copy the form and send one copy to the ministry of Economic Affairs, and fax a copy to the Korean embassy so both their administrations could file the paperwork. He began to speak again as he sat back down in his chair. "I believe we have a few more things to discuss yes, cultural exchange and of course the tourism that comes with it is one of those topics we wish to discuss so we can possibly see some advancements in that area. What are your government's goals in this area?"
Jay

 

[Jay]

"Yes, we hope we can eliminate barriers to travel through offering better Korean-Dutch translation services, removing visas and allowing a visa-free travel through a visa on arrival scheme, I hope that the number of residence and student visas can also be expanded for Korean citizens. Overall, the main goal is to have better facilitations of movement of people, and I hope that the Rijksmuseum can also coordinate with our museums in Korea to allow us to temporarily bring beautiful Dutch paintings and collections to Korea."

Tim

 

[Tim]

As he listened to the Korean as he took a sip from his glass of water that was standing besides him. "Visa's on arrival is definetly something we can look at in order to make travel preparations easier. And having our cultural facilities work together to exchange art sounds like a wonderful way to establish a link between our countries that will hopefully inspire people to visit the other country. I'm very happy to contact the Dutch Museum Association, an associaition that contains about 500 museums, with this idea so they can contact Korean museums or any Korean museum associaitions if they exist."

Jay