[Diplomacy] British Commonwealth Day reception held in Seoul

How many countries are there in the British Commonwealth? The exact number is 53, but few people could likely come up with the right answer.

It is to be noted that in Seoul, diplomats affiliated with the commonwealth, though they hail from different nations and regions, maintain very close relationships. At one time these independent countries were under British colonial rule and they still celebrate their ties with the English crown.

On Mar. 12, a reception was held to mark Commonwealth Day at the residence of British Ambassador to Korea Charles Humfrey near Toksu Palace in Seoul. The reception was attended by ambassadors, diplomats and military attaches from more than 10 commonwealth nations, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Nigeria and Ghana.

At the request of the British ambassador, the participants drank a toast to the friendship of commonwealth nations.

At the ambassador`s residence, pictures showing military actions staged by commonwealth countries during the Korean War (1950-1953) were displayed. The pictures were brought in from the British War Museum for the occasion.

Of the commonwealth nations, Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and some others sent a combined 130,000 soldiers to fight as allies in the 1950-53 Korean War. A group of Korean war veterans from Britain, Canada and several other countries are scheduled to visit Korea in April, and commonwealth diplomats plan to tour some of the battle sites and hold commemorative functions there.

The commonwealth diplomatic envoys will hold another special function, together with non-commonwealth diplomats, at the British embassy on Jun. 12, in celebration of Queen Elizabeth`s birthday (which actually falls on Apr. 21).

The commonwealth was launched in 1931 and is widely represented in Africa and Asia. There are about 40 ambassadors from commonwealth countries stationed in Seoul.

These nations sponsor meetings of heads of states every two years in rotation and hold inter-commonwealth games every four years.

Kwon Ki-Tae kkt@donga.com