Korea, Hungary agree to boost ties
President Park Geun-hye shakes hands with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban ahead of a summit at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Friday. / Yonhap
By Kang Seung-woo
President Park Geun-hye and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban agreed Friday to strengthen ties and cooperation as they marked the 25th anniversary of their countries’ diplomatic relations, the presidential office announced.
The two came to the agreement during a summit at Cheong Wa Dae. Park had invited Orban, who arrived in Seoul on Thursday with a delegation of Hungarian government officials and business people.
Hungary was the first East European country to establish diplomatic ties with Korea in 1989.
“The partnership between Korea and Hungary has entered a new phase thanks to the prime minister’s visit to Korea,“ according to a joint statement.
“The two countries agreed to improve bilateral relations in the areas of political discussion, economic cooperation and personnel exchange.”
The leaders emphasized economic and trade relations, acknowledging that Korean companies’ investment in Hungary had helped influenced the economic growth in both countries,’ according to the joint statement.
They also agreed to improve cooperation in various fields of science and technology as well as defense.
“This year marks the 25th anniversary of the nation’s northern diplomacy as well as the fall of the Berlin Wall,“ said Park.
“Hungary played an important role in paving the way for Korea’s diplomacy after becoming Korea’s first East European diplomatic partner.“
Park and Orban also discussed security on the Korean Peninsula and in East Asia with a focus on North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missiles.
They agreed that the possible denuclearization of the North would help solidify peace and stability on the peninsula and in the region.
“Given the growing need to purse reunification of the Korean Peninsula, the prime minister’s visit to Korea is all the more significant,” Park said. “I look forward to Hungary becoming a strong partner in Korea’s push for reunification.”
The presidential office said Orban was deeply impressed with Korea’s rapid economic growth and that he had invited her to make an official visit.
Following the summit, the two countries signed a set of agreements and memorandums of understanding (MOU) with the leaders in attendance.
One agreement is a revised version of an existing bilateral aviation deal, which aims to increase trade and people-to-people exchanges.
Another agreement calls for mutual recognition of each other’s driving licenses, while the two MOUs aim to promote cooperation in education and banking technology.