South Korea Trip: PM Talks Business (But Not Ferry Business)

We’re just about to land, Prime Minister. 

Goodo. Where are we again?

Seoul, South Korea.

South Korea! My favourite Korea. Future-focused. Globally-frontiered. Not like the other one, that wet whiny inward-looking hermit kingdom one. We had enough of that sort of stuff with the last lot back home. Am I right? Ha!

Yes Prime Minister. You'll be meeting President Yoon. There’ll be a photo-opportunity.

Yes! The old grip-and-grin.

And then you’ll move into private talks.

Business time! Though you know me, any time is business time, right? Hey, have you got the, the, you know… 

As you requested we’ve been working up a few answers in case the question of the cancelled South-Korean-built inter-island ferries comes up.

Good, good. I mean, it probably won’t come up at all, right?

What, the fact that we cancelled a half-billion-dollar contract with our sixth largest trading partner? Or that we cancelled it by text, twenty-six minutes before publicly announcing it?

All that. Yes.

No that probably won’t come up at all.

Good. But just in case, right.

Just in case, we have prepared some suggested responses.

Okay hit me. They say ‘Hey about those cancelled ferries?’ and I say…?

We suggest you say ‘I understand the national flower of South Korea is the mugunghwa. I long to gaze upon its beauty.’

That's a bit nature-y. Next thing we’ll be talking about endangered snails. What else have you got?