VISION STATEMENT

CZECH-KOREAN FORUM FOR THE FUTURE

Prague, the Czech Republic, 15th June 2015


The Czech-Korean Forum for the Future (hereinafter the Forum) convened for its inaugural meeting at the Congress Center of the Czech National Bank in Prague, the Czech Republic, on 15th June 2015 in the presence of its founding Members (attached),

Appreciating the substantial political, economic and cultural ties based on democracy, free market and human rights which have been developed over the last 25 years since the establishment of the diplomatic relations in 1990;

Recognizing the significance of the Strategic Partnership declared between the two countries in Seoul, Korea in February 2015 by H.E. Mme. Park Keun-hye, President of the Republic of Korea and H.E. Mr. Bohuslav Sobotka, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic in consolidating, deepening, and diversifying bilateral relations to mutual benefit and realizing shared values;

Acknowledging the necessity of launching the Forum at this particular time as a vehicle to present a vision promoting mutual interests and the spirit of cooperation enshrined in the Joint Declaration of Strategic Partnership and other frameworks of cooperation;

Envisioning the Forum working towards actualizing the magnitudinous potential of the two countries of profound culture and manufacturing power, anchored in hardworking and creative peoples with similar historical experiences,

Reaffirming their commitment to being the force for strengthening bilateral relations in their respective areas of cooperation;

Hereby put forward the following:

1. The Forum shall act as a venue to forge collective wisdom of the Members for cultivating a broad and creative partnership for promoting shared values of democracy, free market and human rights between the two countries.

2. Noting complex, and at times destabilizing, nature of security environments in their respective regions, be it the crisis in Ukraine, North Korean nuclear threat and instability in East Asia, the Forum is committed to drawing together the insight of the Members for peace and prosperity of the regions.

3. Bilateral cooperation in the format of V4+Korea shall be further encouraged as a way to tackle global as well as regional issues including energy security, infrastructure advancement, climate change, upholding of culture and human rights, among many others.

4. The Forum fully acknowledges the efforts of the Republic of Korea to implement Trust-Building Process on the Korean Peninsula towards unified Korea, Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative as well as the Eurasian Initiative. In view of the unique role that the Czech Republic can play for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula with its successful transitional experiences and its diplomatic mission in Pyongyang, the Forum strongly supports closer cooperation between the two countries in this regard.

5. As the first follow-up of the Forum’s discussion on the Czech transitional experience, the Forum agrees to hold a “Seminar on Privatization during the Czech Transition of 1990s” in Prague.

6. The Forum calls for closer high-level contacts and exchanges, and contacts among a broad spectrum of institutions and officials through various frameworks including inter-governmental consultations and exchange of experts as a way to forge stronger bonds between the two countries.

7. Welcoming the substantial increase in Korean investment in the Czech Republic, the Forum highlights the importance of the Czech Republic as a strategic hub for Korea to get to the European and Western Hemisphere market, and that of Korea for the Czech Republic to the East Asian market which has been reinforced through the ROK-China FTA initialed last year.

The Forum also encourages both sides to fully utilize the substantial opportunities for mutual investment in a wide range of areas including machinery, automobile and chemical industries, among many others.

8. The Forum notes with appreciation the level of cooperation in the area of nuclear energy between the two countries which has been developed over the past years. In particular, the Forum stresses the need for Czech-Korean joint advancement into third country nuclear energy markets. The two countries are also encouraged to seek for other forms of energy project opportunities in the regional and global markets.
9. Recognizing that strong infrastructure is crucial to economic development, the Forum recommends that the two governments find ways to fully utilize technological strengths of each other to expand infrastructure in the Czech Republic, the Central Europe and beyond.

10. The Forum highlights the crucial importance of science, innovation and R&D for the two economies of manufacturing power, and emphasizes great potential in bilateral cooperation in this area.

The Forum urges greater institute-to-institute contacts and matching of researchers between the two countries. R&D cooperation between the two countries can be implemented through research institutes and universities of both countries, such as KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) and Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in Korea, and Central European Institute of Technology, International Clinic Research Center, IT4Inovation, Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Biotechnology and Biomedicine Center, Institute of Molecular Genetics, Rez Center in the Czech Republic, among many others.

11. The Forum notes that tackling climate change and decarbonizing the economy is one of the greatest challenges facing the world, and recommends the two governments to work closely towards the decarbonized economy in bilateral and international settings including the Seoul-based Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and Global Climate Fund (GCF).

12. The Forum appreciates the splendid cultural heritages of the two countries and the cultural exchanges that have been made between them. The Forum recommends both sides to explore further avenues to promote cultural cooperation and joint work between cultural institutions, such as museums, in order for the two peoples to experience and deepen their understanding on the other’s culture.

The Forum proposes to create joint fund between the two countries for bilateral cultural and educational projects aimed at promoting people-to-people interaction and enhancing mutual understanding and friendship.

13. The Forum appreciates the growing grass roots contact between the two peoples. On- going vibrant growth in the number of tourists and visitors between the two countries is highly welcomed. The Forum further encourages the two governments to promote ways to increase people-to-people contacts, including tourism. The Forum recommends the two governments to work towards expanding youth exchanges between the two countries.

14. The Forum underscores the need to strengthen V4+Korea cooperation in the areas of energy and infrastructure development, chemical industries, machinery and defense industry in Central and Eastern Europe, and beyond.

15. The Forum agrees to look into the possibility to set up and operate sub working groups on the issues of the Czech democratic transition in the 1990s and bilateral cooperation in the areas of nuclear energy, education, science and technology, among many others.