Until Tuesday, the facade of the Seoul Square building is being illuminated in the evening with images celebrating 55 years of diplomatic relations between the European Union and Korea. The anniversary is being celebrated under the theme of “connectivity” between European and Asian economies.

“The EU looks forward to President Moon Jae-in’s visit to Brussels in October when he will discuss strengthening connectivity between Europe and Asia at the Asia-Europe Meeting Summit,” said EU Ambassador to Korea Michael Reiterer. “Just as economic and social interactions built peace in Europe, so can connectivity to help build sustainable peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia.”

Connectivity is at the heart of sustainable economic growth in the 21st century, according to the European Union. It refers to physical links between economies in the form of transport, digital and energy linkages, as well as practices, conventions and rules to ensure interoperability across borders. But first and foremost, it is about the exchanges between people through education, research, innovation, culture and tourism.

“Connectivity is fundamentally about people-to-people links,” the EU delegation here said. “The 55 logo being used to celebrate the anniversary was the winning design in a competition among Korean high school students to visually express the strong relations between the EU and Korea.”

In October, President Moon will travel to Brussels for the Asia Europe Meeting Summit, which will bring together leaders from 53 countries to discuss how to strengthen connectivity between Europe and Asia.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)