For not only Koreans, but also for the entire international community, Singapore will be remembered as a historic venue this year which hosted the historic encounter between US President Donald Trump & his counterpart North Korea leader Kim Jung-eun to pave the way for the complete denuclearization on the Korean peninsula and more importantly lasting peace.

In that regard, Singapore Embassy Seoul's diplomatic reception to mark its 53rd National Day held in a hotel Seoul on Aug. 20th evening showed three symbolic images in their venue wall in the front.

The first one was to show that US President Donald Trump & his counterpart North Korea leader Kim encountered in the Sentosa Island, Singapore on June 12 this year in a gesture that Singapore is a messenger of peace & regional stabilitiy all over the world.

The second one was to show that as an Chair country of ASEAN this year, Singapore strives to create 'Resilient & Innovation" and last but not least the third one was to show that the two countries endeavor for the common prosperity & cooperation through the official visit of President Moon Jae-in in late July 11-13 this year to Singapore.

In the hopes of further cooperating between the two countries in the field of smartcity, AI, 4th revolution era etc. among others, Singapore Amb. YIP Wei Kiat invited Minister Hong Jong-haak from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups to show off that there are many potentials & opportunites between the two nations to cooperate as optimal partners in such innovation fields.

The ideal optimal partnerships between the two countries in such innovation fields seem to serve as the envy for their benchmarking of many envoys who attended Singapore National Day diplomatic reception including ASEAN ambassadors in particular.

In July his Singapore visit as well, "If we combine our technology and resources, we will be able to achieve great success in areas such as advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, big data, fintech, biotechnology and medical devices," said President Moon, according to the Blue House.

"We will also cooperate on the development of smart cities in third countries. Singaporean firms are skilled in the development and management of smart city projects, especially in terms of software, while Korean firms have strengths in IT and hardware. By combining these two strengths, we will be able to spearhead a smart city movement, not only in the ASEAN region, but all over the world," he said. 

On the 9th of August every year, we come together to celebrate our progress as a nation, and to renew our pledge to be one united people. Singapore has come a long way in just 53 years. Today, we are a vibrant and flourishing city-state. Our economy continues to grow steadily – around 3 to 3.5% in recent years. Productivity is improving, and incomes are rising. Singaporeans enjoy a good quality of life, better than many others in the world, said PM Lee Hsien Loong said through his 2018 National Day Message, according to the Embassy of Singapore Seoul.

But there are some clouds on the horizon. Over the past year, trade tensions between the major economies have seriously worsened. This is affecting international trade, investments, and business confidence. Singapore’s own growth and prosperity will be affected too. Trade conflicts will also erode trust between the major powers, and hinder their cooperation on other important issues. And hence, regional and international security are at risk, Singapore PM added.