Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
S. Korea, Poland form partnership to rebuild Ukraine
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a joint press conference after a summit with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda at the presidential palace in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday (local time). Yonhap
By Nam Hyun-woo
Yoon, Duda explore ways to deepen defense, nuclear energy ties
By Nam Hyun-woo
WARSAW ― President Yoon Suk Yeol agreed to form a partnership with Polish President Andrzej Duda, Thursday (local time), for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, given Warsaw's geopolitical advantage of supporting the war-torn country.
The summit took place during Yoon's official visit to Poland. Yoon is the first South Korean president to visit Poland since 2009.
“The two countries are now indispensable partners in various fields, including the economy, security and others,” Yoon said during a joint press conference after the summit.
“The two countries' trade stood at a record high $9 billion (11.4 trillion won) last year, and South Korea is one of Poland's most important investor countries. And I and President Duda agreed to continue necessary support to further expand bilateral trade and investments.”
During the summit, the two governments signed three memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on a trade and investment promotion framework, transport infrastructure and the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Of them, the MOU on the reconstruction of Ukraine details how Seoul and Warsaw will cooperate in the fields of land, city and infrastructure to assist in reconstruction projects in Ukraine.
President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda inspect an honor guard during an official reception ceremony before their summit at the presidential palace in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday (local time). Yonhap
The importance of the relations between Seoul and Warsaw increased quickly following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which shares its Western border with Poland.
This prompted Poland to dramatically increase its defense expenditure, earmarking 4 percent of its gross domestic product into military goals this year, and turned its eyes on South Korean howitzers and tanks during this process.
Also, Poland's logistical proximity and close relations with Ukraine led many countries, including South Korea, to see Warsaw as a “hub” for Ukraine's reconstruction projects, which are anticipated to incur a capital injection of more than $1 trillion. This is comparable to the 1948 U.S. Marshall Plan which provided economic assistance to restore the economic infrastructure of postwar Europe.
“We agreed that South Korea and Poland could be optimum partners for the reconstruction of Ukraine,” Yoon said. “I am convinced that the MOU will be a good basis for expanding cooperation of the two countries' businesses.”
Duda also noted that “the future for cooperation between Poland and South Korea is very bright,” and added, “The three MOUs will become important opportunities for the two countries' cooperation.”
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda during their summit at the presidential palace in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday (local time). Yonhap
In the area of defense cooperation, Yoon noted last year's weapons deal between Seoul and Warsaw and discussed with Duda Poland's plan to purchase more South Korean weapons.
“We agreed to make the two countries' defense cooperation show progress in a more reciprocal way,” Yoon said.
Last year, Seoul and Warsaw signed weapons deals that included 980 K2 battle tanks, 648 K-9 self-propelled howitzers, 48 FA-50 light attacker aircraft and 288 Chunmoo Multiple Launch Rocket Systems. This boosted South Korea's weapons exports to Poland to $340 million from January to May this year.
“The economic partnership between Poland and South Korea has widened in the past two years, especially in the field of security,” Duda said. “The Polish military purchased many weapons from South Korea, such as the FA-50 fighter jet and the K-2 battle tank. Poland not only wants to import weapons from South Korea, but also wants to manufacture South Korean weapons in Poland.”
Along with the defense cooperation, Yoon said he and Duda agreed that “nuclear energy is the optimum solution that can achieve both energy security and carbon neutrality” and promised to offer government-level support to companies involved in Polish nuclear power plant projects.
South Korea is now seeking to export its APR-1400 nuclear reactors to Poland, while Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Poland's state-owned public power firm Polska Grupa Energetyczna and private power firm ZE PAK, signed a letter of intent to cooperate on a construction project for a nuclear power plant in Patnow, central Poland.
The leaders also noted that South Korean businesses are expanding their presence in Poland in advanced industries such as electric vehicle (EV) batteries, and promised to make joint efforts to secure future growth drivers.
Cathode materials, which are key components of EV batteries, accounted for 27.2 percent of South Korea's exports to Poland last year. South Korea's LG Energy Solution has been operating an EV battery plant in Wroclaw, Poland since 2017 and the factory's total annual output reaches 70 gigawatt-hour.
During the summit, the leaders condemned North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile launch on Wednesday, and agreed to work with the international community to respond resolutely.
“I and President Duda decided to increase our joint efforts to improve the human rights situation in North Korea, while blocking the North's illegal dispatch of workers to Poland,” Yoon said.
In 2016 and 2017, Poland suspended issuing new work permits and extending existing ones to more than 500 North Korean laborers, as it put United Nations sanctions on North Korea into practice. However, it is believed that illegal North Korean workers are still working in Poland in squalid conditions.