John Lee Opens Hong Kong Week 2025 in Seoul, Celebrating Cultural Exchange and Collaboration

Speech by CE at opening ceremony of Hong Kong Week 2025@Seoul (with video)

Following is the video speech by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at the opening ceremony of Hong Kong Week 2025@Seoul today (September 26):

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good evening everybody. Annyeonghaseyo (Korean: Hello)!

It is a great pleasure to welcome you all, to the opening ceremony of Hong Kong Week 2025@Seoul. Since 2019, Hong Kong Week has been a flagship festival organised by the HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) Government, bringing the vibrancy of Hong Kong's arts and culture to international audiences. Having previously staged in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Bangkok, we are glad to now enter the festival's fifth edition, here in Seoul.

For good reasons. Seoul, a dynamic city that celebrates both history and modernity, is committed to fostering innovation, economic development and cultural exchange.

Hong Kong is an international financial, shipping and trade centre. We are also fast developing as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange and an international innovation and technology hub. Our deep connectivity with Korea spans across business, investment, technology and culture, and creates immense opportunities for collaboration and mutual growth.

Hong Kong and Korea, I'm pleased to say, have flourished through our competence, and proficiency, in embracing heritage while driving the transformative capability of different arts forms.

Korea's rich cultural landscape, mesmerising traditional mask dance performances, musical storytelling, as well as its globally popular K-Pop and K-dramas, reflect our appreciation for both tradition and creativity, in breadth and in depth.

Similarly, Hong Kong's arts scene seamlessly blends classical and contemporary influences, establishing a unique identity that resonates with the aspirations of the international stage. These shared values render Hong Kong and Seoul natural partners in artistic collaboration, cultural exchange and creative dialogue.

A city of remarkable cultural richness, Seoul provides an outstanding setting for our Hong Kong Week this year.

This year's Hong Kong Week features an eclectic array of programmes, from Chinese and Western music, and traditional and contemporary dance, to new and restored Hong Kong films, and thought-provoking exhibitions. With performances staged by flagship arts groups as well as emerging young talents, this festival transcends an artistic showcase, and it will bring every participant on a fulfilling arts and cultural journey, filled with fascinating Hong Kong and Korean elements. An integration of our two vibrant cities.

Ladies and gentlemen, our Hong Kong Week will continue to shine on the global stage by deepening collaborations, building new partnerships, inspiring new creations and solidifying connections.

We will continue to foster our friendly relations with Seoul and Korea, not only in the area of arts and culture, but also in business, technology, finance, and more. I warmly invite your exploration of all that Hong Kong offers, through visiting our city, through investments, or through the many opportunities of professional and cultural exchanges we provide.

My sincere gratitude goes to our dedicated partners, especially the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea, for the tremendous support for making Hong Kong Week 2025@Seoul a huge success.

I wish everyone an enjoyable evening! Thank you. Gamsahamnida (Korean: Thank you).

Source: AI-found images

Hong Kong Customs teams up with Mainland and Macao Customs to combat cross-boundary counterfeit goods transshipment activities

Hong Kong Customs conducted an enforcement operation with the Mainland and Macao Customs from December 31, 2025 to January 12, 2026, during which inspections of goods across the three places and destined for countries in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Southeast Asia were stepped up, with a view to combating cross-boundary and transshipment counterfeiting activities. During the operation, Hong Kong Customs detected 14 cases and seized about 19 000 suspected counterfeit goods, including handbags, footwear and electronic products, with a total estimated market value of about $14 million.

Through intelligence analysis and detailed investigations, Hong Kong Customs in the operation detected 13 related cases at a number of local express couriers and logistics companies.

Meanwhile, Customs officers detected a case at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port, seizing a batch of suspected counterfeit goods from an incoming lorry. A male lorry driver, aged 54, was arrested. An investigation is ongoing. The arrestee has been released on bail pending further investigation.

Hong Kong Customs will continue to work closely with the Mainland Customs, Macao Customs and overseas law enforcement agencies to vigorously combat cross-boundary counterfeit goods transshipping activities through intelligence exchanges and joint enforcement actions.

Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who imports or exports any goods to which a forged trademark is applied commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

Members of the public may report any suspected counterfeiting activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 80 80 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Hong Kong Customs teams up with Mainland and Macao Customs to combat cross-boundary counterfeit goods transshipment activities Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases