Britain's Princess Anne visits Busan Port as 123-year-old lighthouse lens bridges two nations

Princess Anne, sister of King Charles III, will visit Busan Port on Tuesday to discuss ways to expand maritime cooperation between South Korea and the United Kingdom. The visit, prompted by the permanent loan of a lighthouse lens used in Britain for 123 years, is expected to serve as an occasion to reflect on the two countries' long history of maritime partnership.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced Monday that it will hold an event at Busan Port on Tuesday to welcome Princess Anne and mark the significance of South Korea-UK maritime cooperation.

Princess Anne and Deputy Minister Nam Jae-heon will attend the event alongside maritime officials from both countries. Participants are expected to review the history and development of Busan Port and discuss the achievements of bilateral maritime exchanges and avenues for future cooperation.

Busan Port has long-standing ties with Britain. It was first introduced to the Western world under the name "Chosan Harbour" through the voyage journal of Captain Broughton, who arrived aboard the British naval vessel Providence in 1797. In 1905, a lighthouse was installed on a reef along the shipping lane under the initiative of McLeavy Brown, a British national who served as commissioner of customs at Busan Port at the time, extending a tradition of maritime exchange between the two countries.

The event was organized to mark the permanent loan to South Korea of a large lighthouse lens that Trinity House, the UK's specialist maritime aids-to-navigation authority, used at Pendeen Lighthouse from 1900 for 123 years. The lens arrived at Busan Port last November and is set to be unveiled to the public on Wednesday following a lighting ceremony at the National Lighthouse Museum in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province.

In appreciation of the permanent loan, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has commissioned a traditional mother-of-pearl craft work depicting Pendeen Lighthouse, the National Lighthouse Museum and Homigot Lighthouse, which will be presented to Princess Anne at the event.

"Princess Anne's visit to Busan Port is a meaningful occasion to reaffirm the trust the two countries have built through the sea," Deputy Minister Nam said. "We will continue to expand our partnership with the United Kingdom across a wide range of maritime fields."