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Greetings from Ambassador Ivan Jančárek

Velvyslanec Ivan Jančárek

Velvyslanec Ivan Jančárek

 

Dear friends,

 

I am pleased to welcome you to the website of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Seoul. Allow me to share with you some of my thoughts, ideas, and plans for my term as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to the Republic of Korea.

 

The Czech Republic's relations with the Republic of Korea are based on our strategic partnership, which was already launched in 2015. Korea is our priority partner within the Strategy for Cooperation with the Indo-Pacific. Both our countries are also linked by the strategic partnership between the EU and Korea, and we are witnessing ever closer cooperation with NATO. Korea is also one of the traditional partners of the Visegrad Group. For Czechia, this is a long-term prospective partner with whom we share democratic values and have a similar vision of geopolitics. The current escalated situation in the world gives us opportunities to strengthen ties in the area of security as well as energy. For the Czech Republic, this makes Korea one of the most important strategic partners in Asia.

 

The recent meeting between Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, as well as the meeting between the two presidents on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, prove that both countries are interested in deepening their cooperation. I expect that an official visit of the Prime Minister to Korea, as well as a visit at the highest presidential level, could take place during my term of office. This would be the first full-fledged state visit in history.

 

One of the priorities for Czech foreign policy is to help Ukraine in the wake of the invasion by Russia. Therefore, it is crucial for the Czech Republic and Korea to be like-minded countries in many areas, not only in terms of sharing the same democratic values but also respect for human rights and the presentation of positions in multilateral forums. In this context, Korea shall be prepared to strengthen its cooperation with Ukraine in the area of non-military supplies, as well as in the supply of humanitarian aid and development cooperation. This represents an opportunity for the Czech Republic to strengthen trilateral cooperation in areas of interest to us (healthcare, modernisation of the nuclear power plant, water purification, bridge infrastructure, or primary energy sources).

 

Trade and economic relations are very important. In terms of turnover, Korea is ranked 19th, but unfortunately, of the more than EUR 5 billion in turnover, 88% are Korean exports to the Czech Republic (11th place), while Czech exports are relatively low (40th place). The trade deficit is the second highest after China. On the other hand, Korean investments in the Czech Republic are important -- especially in the automotive industry with Korean companies such as Hyundai, Nexen, or in the energy industry with companies like Doosan, which create approximately 18,000 jobs in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, other large investments are also ongoing. A major breakthrough in economic cooperation may be the tender of the Korean company KHNP (Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power) for the construction of the nuclear power plant in Dukovany.

 

Tourism is an important component of our relationship. Currently, direct route between Prague and Seoul has a frequency of 4 flights per week, but before the pandemic, it was as high as 14 flights per week. My goal will be to restore the frequency of flights to a minimum of 7 flights per week in cooperation with Prague Airport and Korean Air. The number of tourists, especially inbound tourists to the Czech Republic, is increasing, and the goal is to reach the level of 2019 in 2025. At present, inbound tourism is concentrated exclusively in Prague and Český Krumlov, so I would like to work with the CzechTourism and the Ministry for Regional Development to strengthen ties with other regions.

 

Another excellent cooperation exists in the field of education. About 300 Korean students are interested in various forms of study at Czech universities. The implementation protocol to the cultural agreement signed in 2022 creates the conditions to strengthen interest in bilateral studies. There is a very strong tradition in the teaching of languages, Korean at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University and Palacky University in Olomouc, and Czech at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. A beneficial tool for getting to know both countries is the Working Holiday Programme Agreement. In cooperation with the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research, I will strive to create two communities "Alumni" and "Czechsienceexpats in Korea" which can be an interesting method to promote studying in the Czech Republic in Korea.

 

The development of cultural relations will be one of the most significant tasks of the Embassy and the Czech Center Seoul. There is interest in Czech culture, especially in hosting musical ensembles, as seen in the upcoming hosting of the Czech Philharmonic in Korea in October 2023. Czech film and literature are relatively unknown to Koreans, so I would like to introduce the tradition of the Week of Czech Culture (film, jewelry, brewing, classical music, literature, animated films). Last but not least, sports diplomacy and the development of relations in this area cannot be neglected. Team sports such as football or ice hockey are the basis, but the traditional Korean national martial sport taekwondo can also be our door for this.

 

In my work, I will, of course, rely on my colleagues from the Embassy, but also from the representatives of CzechInvest, CzechTrade, CzechTourism and Czech Centre. Also, I will be very happy to cooperate with the Czech community in Korea, which is not a big number; approximately 250 people currently reside in Korea for the long-term according to estimates by the consular section. But I am certain that there are many ideas that we could implement together.

 

The Embassy will also actively use social media such as Facebook and Instagram.

 

Finally, allow me to thank you for your support and initiative, and I look forward to seeing you soon.

 

With respect,

 

Ivan Jančárek

Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Republic of Korea

Attachments

CV_Velvyslanec Ivan Jancarek 55 KB PDF (Adobe Acrobat document) Oct 5, 2023