[주진우 라이브] Former Chairman Yongman Park, who planned the Pope’s gift ‘Peace Cross’, said, “Accompanying the president on a tour is a good business opportunity for business people, and peace and stability between the two Koreas is also an opportunity for our economy.”

=======================================================
The copyright of the interview material belongs to KBS Radio.
When reporting in full text or citing interviews,
Please indicate the channel name and the exact program name as shown below.
=======================================================

– The pain and shadow of our society that does not improve even when income increases… Among them, I think the conflict and pain of the inter-Korean confrontation is the biggest
– Started the ‘Cross of Peace’ project to change our perspective, which is taken for granted by inter-Korean confrontation
– DMZ barbed wire used as a material, purchased through bidding when it becomes old
– The 136 crosses are based on the idea that 68 years of division equals 136 years of suffering in the South and North Korea combined.
– The Cross of Peace on display in the Basilica of Santignacio, Rome… Will be seen in the basement of Myeongdong Cathedral next Easter
– As I accompanied President Moon, I felt that Korea’s status increased year by year…not only economic growth but also
Respect for a country that has achieved a mature democracy
– Criticism that the president is dragging businessmen?…When visiting Korea, many businessmen come to establish the perception that it is a business opportunity, and businessmen also gain trust with the head of state
– Peace and stability between the two Koreas affect business
– If we talk on peace and take differences on peace

■ Program name: KBS1 Radio
■ Corner name:
■ Broadcasting time: November 1 (Mon) 18:10~18:22 KBS1R FM 97.3 MHz
■ Performer: Park Yong-man, former chairman of Doosan Group (CEO of the Knights of Malta Korea)

◇Jinwoo Joo: . We will continue. This time we will go to Rome, Italy. President Moon Jae-in is on a European tour to attend the G20 summit. Upon arriving in Europe, President Moon first met Pope Francis. In front of the Pope, a ceremony of the Cross of Peace made with barbed wire was also held. CEO Park Yong-man, who made a big impact by planning the Gurma Cross and the Nuns Costume Pillow, once again prayed for peace on the Korean Peninsula with the barbed wire cross. Let’s connect with CEO Yongman Park, who is currently in Rome. Hello?

◆Park Yongman: Hello?

◇Jinwoo Joo: Chairman, are you in Rome right now?

◆Park Yongman: I came to Paris yesterday from Rome.

◇Jinwoo Joo: Did you come to Paris? Now you are on your way to Korea.

◆Park Yongman: Yes. Today I am flying into Paris.

◇Jinwoo Joo: When President Moon Jae-in met Pope Francis on a visit to the Vatican from Rome, he was next to the president.

◆Park Yong-man: To be precise, I couldn’t accompany you to the interview. It’s what two people do, so after the interview, when the attendants greeted and exchanged gifts, he was by my side.

◇Jinwoo Joo: Is that so? However, when the Cross of Peace, a symbol of division, was placed in front of the Pope like this with the DMZ barbed wire fence, the sound was great. You say you are the main character who planned this cross, the president?

◆Park Yongman: Yes, it is.

◇Jinwoo Joo: What is the meaning of this barbed wire? On a barbed wire cross.

◆Park Yong-man: I will briefly tell you from the beginning when I started planning the barbed wire cross. While living as Korean entrepreneurs, in fact, seeing the national income increasing day by day, we also participated in the process of creating wealth, wouldn’t we? I was proud of that alone, but on the other hand, there were pains and shadows in our society that did not improve even when income increased. It has always weighed heavily on my heart, but as you well know, isn’t it polarization, disease, conflict, poverty, and loneliness? However, I thought that the biggest pain in conflict on the Korean Peninsula was the confrontation between the two Koreas.

◇Jinwoo Joo: That’s right.

◆Park Yong-man: However, inter-Korean confrontation is a word we hear every day and it is something we always deal with, so it has been a long time since the war stopped, but I still felt that we had been living the confrontation between the two Koreas as if it were taken for granted. Of course, it’s because I was educated from a young age just like I had to fight. However, we started this project with the idea of ​​changing our thinking and perspective even a little. In other words, the reality is that everyone is already living in a different system, but there is no need for a confrontation with a gun to the front. We acknowledge each other’s differences and have a conversation, but can’t we put all of that aside and do it in peace? It was intended to bring peace by changing our thinking a little. So now, I have come up with a plan to gather prayers and hearts by changing the barbed wire fence of the armistice line, the biggest symbol of division and confrontation, into a cross that wishes for peace.

◇Jin-Woo Joo: Barbed wire, the biggest symbol of the confrontation and conflict between the two Koreas that symbolizes division, makes a cross out of the barbed wire of the Armistice Line. It seems to mean a lot. Did the president buy the barbed wire for the truce line over there?

◆Park Yongman: Yes. That’s when the barbed wire on the truce line is now obsolete.

◇Jinwoo Joo: Fix it.

◆Park Yong-man: It is cut and sold through bidding. We participated in it and bought it.

◇Jinwoo Joo: And why did you make 136 crosses?

◆Park Yong-man: After working on a project for a long time, looking back, it was 68 years since the division of the country. However, if 68 years of division caused pain, I made 136 with the idea that it would be the same as the pain of 136 years combined with the South and the North.

◇Jinwoo Joo: I see. The Cross of Peace was also exhibited at the Basilica of Santignacio in Rome, how did the local people react?

◆Park Yong-man: As you may have seen in the photos, the exhibition hall is quite famous. Baroque Cathedral It is a very beautiful cathedral. The cross is displayed on the floor in the Korean peninsula pattern, and a candle is now placed in the middle. And there is a panel that explains the project, and there is always a video showing the process of making this cross. So, you can see tourists and spectators coming and going around, watching all the videos and admiring the cross every day. The exhibition is going on right now. Yesterday too in the morning, I saw that there were quite a few people around.

◇Jinwoo Joo: Just looking at the photos and seeing the video made me cry. I have an idea that I would like to see it in person. Can we see the cross later?

◆Park Yongman: Yes. Currently scheduled for a public display at Easter next year.

◇Jinwoo Joo: I see.

◆Park Yongman: We have reserved a gallery in the basement of Myeongdong Cathedral.

◇Jinwoo Joo: I see.

◆Park Yongman: We are going to have an exhibition there.

◇Jinwoo Joo: We have to wait until Easter.

◆Park Yongman: Yes.

◇Jinwoo Joo: You served as the Chairman of the Doosan Group. He was also president of the Chamber of Commerce. Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. But now, as a representative of the Korean Knights of Malta, you said that you accompanied President Moon like this?

◆Park Yong-man: The head of the Knights of Malta has been around for a long time. I’m over 6 years old. Shouldn’t I introduce myself to the Vatican? So I said that it would be appropriate to introduce myself as the president of the Catholic Knights of Malta, which is well recognized by the Holy See. In fact, the qualification went as the person who made the cross, and as the organizer, who delivered the gift and explained the exhibition.

◇Jinwoo Joo: I misread the Knights of Malta and thought of the Knights of Malta like this. I thought, “What does it have to do with the president?”

◆Park Yong-man: I don’t think that will happen if you change your mind in a healthy way.

◇Jinwoo Joo: I am healthy. President Moon Jae-in accompanied President Moon Jae-in to Spain last June. This time, he went to Italy with the president over there. When you go abroad, do you feel that the status of Korea has changed like this?

◆Park Yongman: Yes. You can feel that the status of Korea is increasing day by day, year after year. It’s just that the status you feel now changes little by little. In the past, countries that achieved miraculous economic development received a lot of respect, but these days, in reality, there are quite a few countries that have achieved miraculous economic growth. China and Vietnam did the same. Given this, I think that the reason that respect for us is still maintained and our status is rising like this is that we achieved a mature democracy with our own hands at the same time as economic development. And now, under that mature democracy, a president elected by the majority of the people has more respect for our presidents in foreign countries in that they represent the symbolic democracy. I felt that way.

◇Jin-Woo Joo: But last time in the media, there was an article in the media saying that the president almost dragged busy businessmen to foreign countries like this.

◆Park Yong-man: It’s really sad to see articles like that. As chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, I really accompanied him on many tours. However, if you look at it from the side, no matter which president you are, you really have a lot of schedules so you want to know how to handle them all. And the responsibility of having to do one more thing in the spare time, even if I thought it would be good to rest like this after having a little spare time when I see you. It feels like this. As a result, the people watching from the other side are breathtaking. There are ages, but yes. That’s about it, if you look at it as a business person, in fact, if we business people go out and just bring a business card and ask to meet someone important to the other country, would you meet him easily? But the President of the Republic of Korea is coming. Then there is an image that has already been fixed in this international community. When a Korean tour group comes, a large number of businessmen are sure to come. The opportunity to do business is already established. If we go out together then, meeting is much easier, meeting people is much easier, and from the other person’s point of view, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be different in terms of trust from the first meeting between a businessperson who just calls and a businessperson who comes along with the head of state?

◇Jinwoo Joo: I see.

◆Park Yong-man: So, I think it’s a good tradition and a good program.

◇Jinwoo Joo: I see. The media looked at me with one eye. He is Korea’s leading entrepreneur and the president of a chaebol. But when we keep calling for peace, why are we working so hard for reconciliation and cooperation between the two Koreas?

◆Park Yong-man: First, from a business perspective, peace and safety between the two Koreas have a significant impact on business. The discount rate by country is definitely getting lower as well. In terms of business opportunities, inter-Korean economic cooperation is actually a great opportunity. So, from the point of view of businessmen as well as as a person of the people, I think that peace must be achieved now. When I went to the fence a while ago, I saw very young soldiers guarding and maintaining the fence. On the one hand, I am very grateful that we are safe because of the sacrifices of these young people, but on the other hand, I am also saddened that if there is peace, we can spend more time in our youth and more creatively. So, as a citizen, I thought that it would be good for each other if we could talk on peace and bring about differences on peace.

◇Jinwoo Joo: I heard you well. And thank you for the big ring.

◆Park Yongman: Yes.

◇Jinwoo Joo: Be careful in Korea and see you in Korea.

◆Park Yongman: Thank you.

◇Jin-Woo Joo: Until now, former Chairman of Doosan Group, Yong-Man Park, was the head of the Knights of Malta in Korea.