Korea, Czech Republic enter strategic partnership

Defense Minister Han Min-koo, right, shakes hands with Tomas Kuchta, deputy defense minister of the Czech Republic, at Cheong Wa Dae, Seoul, Thursday, after signing a memorandum of understanding for the two countries’ cooperation in the defense sector. President Park Geun-hye and Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka applaud in the background. / Yonhap

By Kang Seung-woo

Korea and the Czech Republic agreed Thursday to upgrade their bilateral ties into a strategic partnership.

President Park Geun-hye and Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka held a summit at Cheong Wa Dae and discussed ways to expand substantive cooperation in a wide range of fields, including trade and economy, energy and infrastructure. They issued a joint statement after the summit.

"Relations between Korea and the Czech Republic dynamically improved over the past 20 years, so Korea is one of the most important partners for the Czech Republic among Asian countries," Sobotka said during the post-summit press conference through an interpreter.

"I think there is a huge development potential to the bilateral ties, as evidenced by memorandum of understandings, signed today."

The Central European country has become Korea’s 20th strategic partner in the year marking the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

In addition, Sobotka's official visit to Korea is the first time in 14 years by a Czech prime minister.

On the sidelines of the summit, Seoul and Prague signed three agreements on cooperation in rail transportation, foreign affairs and defense.

Korea believes the infrastructure move could help its companies’ participation in building a high-speed rail and other transportation infrastructure in the Czech Republic.

The rail pact came as the Czech Republic plans to build transportation infrastructure as part of its efforts to pursue economic growth.

Korea is also interested in making investment in the European nation’s project to build nuclear power plants.

“South Koreans are, of course, interested in investing in the Czech Republic, for example in the area of infrastructure. They would like to take part … when we decide on the construction of new nuclear blocs,” Sobotka was quoted as saying by the Czech News Agency on Wednesday.

Currently, the Czech Republic plans to expand its nuclear power plants in Temelin and Dukovany.

In the summit, President Park asked Sobotka to help Korean firms participate in the project.

Korea built its first nuclear power plant in 1978 and has since built 20 domestically, while localizing over 95 percent of the technology.

In 2009, a Korean consortium won a $20.4 billion project to build four light water nuclear reactors in the United Arab Emirates by 2020 in the country’s first export of nuclear reactors.

Under the agreements, the two countries’ foreign ministries will hold vice minister-level meetings on a regular basis, while exchanging information on military equipment and other issues.

In the joint statement, the two heads of state urged North Korea to return to the suspended six-party talks on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, expressing concerns about the reclusive country’s nuclear and missile programs.

The Kim Jong-un regime has shown no sign of abandoning its nuclear and missile programs, concentrating on modernizing them.

In addition, there is growing speculation that the North may carry out its fourth nuclear test this year.

"The Czech Republic's successful transformation after the collapse of the Soviet-backed regime in Prague more than two decades ago sends a clear message ensuring it should go in the right direction," Park said during the press conference.

They also concurred on the need to cooperate in reference to the North’s human rights violations, one of the main issues with which the U.N. is now dealing.

Korea is the Czech Republic’s third-biggest business partner outside Europe.

According to the Czech Statistical Office, the imports from Korea amounted to 74.5 billion Czech koruna (3.3 trillion won) in 2013, while Czech exports to Korea amounted to 1.3 billion Czech koruna.