Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

On February 26, Korea and the Czech Republic agreed to upgrade diplomatic relations from general to strategic partnership after 25 years. Both countries have entered into an MOU for military cooperation as well with this as a momentum.

Both can now exchange information about mutual weapons through civil-military high-level meetings or expert consultations. Also, they agreed to cooperate in areas such as national defense and security policy, peace support and humanitarian operations, defense industry, defense research, military training and education, CBR and nuclear defense, arms control, etc. They have signed an MOU regarding diplomatic and railroad cooperation.

At a summit conference held at the Blue House in the morning of the same day, President Park Geun-Hye and Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka approved a joint declaration for strategic partnership establishment with 32 clauses to intensify and expand the actual cooperation in politics, economy, trade and all other fields. It made the Czech Republic the 20th strategic partner of Korea. 

Both countries especially share the view of helping each other regarding North Korean issues. There is a sentence specified in the joint declaration: Both reconfirm that the verifiable denuclearization of North Korea is essential for peace and stability in the region, and urge North Korea to return to meaningful negotiations to accelerate the actual progress of the denuclearization.

Both summits expressed their deep concerns about North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile programs. They agreed to make an effort to better North Korean human rights and humanitarian situations.

For economic area, they recognized strategic importance in energy area and agreed to strengthen cooperation in nuclear field. They also came to an agreement to improve a working holiday program while they try to cooperate in film, animation, music, exhibition, etc, for cultural and human exchange area.

In addition, President Park reaffirmed the will of nuclear cooperation between both countries and made a request for support for Korean companies to participate in construction of the new nuclear facility in the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic is in the process of building an additional nuclear facility after construction in Temelín and Dukovany. The national energy policy is expected to come to a final decision in February or March which includes a promotion plan for nuclear facility construction, its location, time frame and funds supply method.

Both countries also agreed on supporting regularization of the Korea-Visegrad Group(V4; Hungary, Czech, Poland, Slovakia) consultation and cooperation; strengthening cooperation related to cyber security and crime; promoting cooperation in infrastructure, traffic, distribution and transportation; tightening cooperation in small businesses, ICT, innovation and scientific technologies; strengthening nuclear cooperation through the Korea-Czech Nuclear Forum, Steering Committee for Nuclear Power Cooperation, etc.; increasing economic cooperation through the Korea-EU FTA; and encouraging cooperative activities within the frame of the scientific technology community.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sobotka is on a visit to Korea from February 24 to 27 with around 70 Cabinet members and an economic mission at the invitation of the President Park. It is the first visit in 14 years, after the then Prime Minister Miloš Zeman, the current Czech President, in 2001. Korea established diplomatic relations with the Czech Republic in March 1990.

By Joo-Hyeong, Lee <jataka@dema.mil.kr>

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