Without broader clarification of the situation, it is not possible to explain the reasons why former Czechoslovakia established diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea as late as 42 years after the proclamation of its independence.

In 1948, three years after the liberation of the Korean Peninsula from Japanese rule, two Korean states appeared – the Republic of Korea (RoK) was established in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, whereas Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was established in the northern part of the peninsula. Their foreign policy arrangement was more than problematic as the Korean Peninsula became another battlefield for just starting Cold War between East and West. RoK was supported by the United States while DPRK by the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China. As a result, both Korean countries became implacable enemies.

Right after proclamation of its independence, the Republic of Korea was recognized by only a few countries, some of which established diplomatic relations with it (before the outbreak of war in 1950 – the United States, Great Britain, France and their close allies, e.g. the Republic of China on Taiwan, the Philippines and Spain). Even though some Latin American countries recognized RoK already in 1949, they waited with establishment of diplomatic relations until the 1960s (Brazil was the first in 1959). At the end of 1959, RoK had already had established standard diplomatic relations with a mere 13 countries – apart form the above mentioned also Federal Republic of Germany (1955), Italy (1956), Turkey (1957), and Denmark, Sweden and Norway (1959) were added to the list. Even countries that participated in the Korean War and supported the UN operation there – for instance Australia (1961), Switzerland (1962), Canada (1963) and the Republic of South Africa (1992) – were not interested in formalizing their relations with RoK. A more accommodating attitude towards RoK occurred only in 1960-62 when around 60 countries (mainly from Western Europe and Latin America) had established diplomatic relations with RoK.

The existing countries also expressed similarly dubious attitude towards the Democratic People's Republic of Korea which was – backed by China and Soviet Union – established in the same year as RoK. In 1959, DPRK had established diplomatic relations with only 15 countries (Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, the German Democratic Republic, and the People's Republic of China, Vietnam, Mongolia, Indonesia, Algeria and Guinea).

By 1959 (i.e. 11 years after the proclamation of independence of both RoK and DPRK) only 28 countries (out of more than 80 members of the United Nations) entered into diplomatic relations with one or the other Korean state. Obviously, the world expected a unification of both Koreas into one state – despite the fact that the Korean War (1950-53) made it clear that the emergence of a single Korean state was not a question of a short period of time. Therefore, those countries which decided to establish diplomatic relations with one or the other Korean state had deep political interests on the Korean Peninsula. After the assumption of power by communists in February 1948, former Czechoslovakia was solely concentrated on the cooperation with countries of the so-called "Soviet bloc". That is why the pro-American-oriented Republic of Korea could not be seen even a theoretical partner for Czechoslovakia that for obvious reasons supported DPRK only. The only Czechs and Slovaks who can legally enter RoK were thus only members of Czechoslovak contingent of  Neutral Supervisory Commission based in Panmunjeon.

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The absence of diplomatic ties, virtually no tradition of contacts with the Korean Peninsula, nonexistence of local community and minimal perspective of long-term mutually beneficial economic cooperation predestined that any relations between the Republic of Korea and the then Czechoslovak Socialist Republic were nearly impossible for the entire period of communist governments in Czechoslovakia.

The first indication for change occurred in the 1970s when the Soviet Union initiated earliest occasional communication with the Republic of Korea, and when the economic position of the Republic of Korea began to improve significantly. In the second half of the 1980s, first indirect and then direct contacts between Czechoslovak and (South) Korean leaders and companies were established. The decision of the International Olympic Committee to organize Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988 was particularly important for opening mutual relations. Despite the pressure from DPRK, countries of the socialist bloc were not willing anymore to continue the series of Olympic Games boycotts (e.g. in Montreal 1976 African countries withdrew, in Moscow 1980 most Western countries were absent, while in Los Angeles 1984 vast majority of countries of the socialist bloc boycotted the games). Contacts with representatives of the Republic of Korea were thus established – initially only in the field of sports and trade. Czechoslovak sportsmen who eventually attended the Olympic Games in Seoul were practically the first Czechoslovak citizens who officially visited the Republic of Korea.

In the “olympic” year, the above described disapproving attitude of socialist countries towards official political and economic relations with the Republic of Korea was first broken by Hungary that, at first, established direct business contacts and one year later – in 1989 – also diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea. Despite this step, socialist Czechoslovakia had not decided during the last year of its existence whether to recognize RoK or not. As a consequence, the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and Czechoslovakia took place shortly after November 1989 when Václav Havel was appointed as a new Czechoslovak president.

On January 15, 1990 the protocol on establishing diplomatic relations was initialed, which was followed by official establishment of relations on March 22, 1990. Shortly afterwards – on June 13, 1990 – Embassy of the Republic of Korea started its operations in Prague, and almost simultaneously a group of RoK National Assembly members visited Prague. One year later – on July 19, 1991 – the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic opened its embassy in Seoul. The visit of President of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic Václav Havel to the Republic of Korea in April 1992 is labeled as the peak of political contacts between the two countries.

© Jaroslav Olša, jr., 2009