The Oxbridge Society, an integrated alumni association in South Korea for graduates from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, held an alumni reception on Aug. 31, where society members were urged to be at the forefront of leading country relations between Korea and the United Kingdom.

According to the alumni association on Friday, around 100 alums from both universities were in attendance at the annual reception, including former Foreign Minister and former President of Oxford Society Korea Park Jin and British Ambassador to South Korea Colin Crooks, who are alums of Oxford University and Cambridge University, respectively.

“President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the UK in November last year is of great historical significance,” said Park during his speech on Aug. 31. Noting that it “elevated the relationship between Korea and the UK to a new level,” Park mentioned the Downing Street Accord, a strategic partnership agreement that was signed between President Yoon and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during their bilateral summit on Nov. 22, 2023.

Noting that King Charles III and Ambassador Colin Crooks are alums of Cambridge University and that British former and current prime ministers including Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer are Oxford University graduates, Park further emphasized that the Oxbridge Society of Korea “should take the lead in developing the bilateral relationship between Korea and the UK.”

“The two countries should continue to work together closely in a variety of fields, including economy and trade, diplomacy and security, science and technology, defense, climate change and the culture and arts,” Park added.

Meanwhile, the Oxbridge Society of Korea was first established in 2013 by Park and lawyer Kim Dong-keon, who were both presidents of the two universities’ Korean alumni associations at that time.