Annual Dinner at the House of Commons

Thursday 6th November 2008.

This year the rain held off and we were able to enjoy the stunning views across the River Thames from the Terrace of the House of Commons, the impressive venue for the Anglo-Korean Society's Annual Dinner.

Bust of Sir Winston Churchill
in the Churchill Room

Those who chose to start the evening with the tour of the Houses of Parliament were treated to an informative and amusing insight into the long history and traditions of the building and its occupants - for those who have never taken the tour, it comes highly recommended!

As the evening progressed nearly a hundred members and guests gathered in the Terrace Pavilion for the reception, creating an enthusiastic buzz of conversation as old acquaintances were greeted and new introductions made, accompanied by the essential exchange of business cards. The lively atmosphere continued throughout the evening in the Churchill Room where the dinner was held.

Views from the Terrace

To open the proceedings AKS Chairman, Sir Stephen Brown, introduced the Society's guests for the evening. These included Ken Lee, President of Hyundai Motor UK who sponsored the event. Then our host, Peter Bottomley MP, welcomed us to the Churchill Room with its many historic associations.

Introductions over, we enjoyed an excellent meal accompanied by generous quantities of wine, our lively conversation uninterrupted until coffee was served. Following the Loyal Toasts we settled back to listen to the guest speaker, Warwick Morris, former British Ambassador to the Republic of Korea. Warwick entertained us with his personal observations and reflections on the dramatic changes that have taken place in Korea over the last thirty years, drawing on his experiences whilst posted there from 1975 to 1979, 1988 to 1991, and finally as Ambassador from 2003 to 2008.

The evening closed with a speech of thanks given by Minister Hong Jun-Beom from the Korean Embassy, and Sir Stephen Brown presented a bouquet of flowers to Sylvia Park as a token of the Society's appreciation for all her hard work in organising such an enjoyable and successful evening.

More pictures from the evening

Click on the images to view the gallery

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