1. Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Kim Gunn had a series of bilateral video conferences with the vice foreign minister (Czech Republic) and the deputy foreign ministers of the Visegrad Group (V4: the Republic of Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and the Slovak Republic) from June 5 to 11. The two sides noted with appreciation that they have closely cooperated in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, and discussed ways to expand cooperation for post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

2. The Visegrad Group (V4) is a group of four Central European countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia). The countries are well known for beautiful tourist attractions among the Korean people, but they are also key countries for the Republic of Korea’s export to and investment in Europe.

o The V4 countries are the ROK’s largest export market in the EU, accounting for about 20 percent of the ROK’s exports to the EU (2019). The V4 countries have also become the largest investment destination in the EU for Korean companies, whose investments in the countries have increased almost 30 times for the past 5 years (accumulated amount of investments in the four countries: about 8 billion U.S. dollars in 2019). In particular, the countries are Korean companies’ major cooperative partners regarding the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with Korean companies vigorously investing in their electric vehicle battery sector.

3. Deputy Minister Kim and the V4 participants said that they were pleased to meet even via video, and expressed gratitude to each other for sincere cooperation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They also highly appreciated that essential exchanges and cooperation are underway through close communication between the two sides even amid the pandemic.

o Deputy Minister Kim extended appreciation to the V4 countries for supporting the repatriation of Korean nationals and cooperating to grant Korean business people exemptions to enter the countries amid the COVID-19 situation.

o The V4 participants highly commended Korean firms’ activities in each of their countries, and said that they will work together for the firms to continue carrying out investment activities in a smooth manner.

4. The meeting participants agreed to step up cooperation in areas where the ROK and the V4 countries have advantages, including the Fourth Industrial Revolution-related fields (electric vehicle battery, etc.), health and ICT, and cybersecurity.

o The two sides noted that Korean companies are making significant investments especially in the electric vehicle battery sector among the Fourth Industrial Revolution-related fields, and agreed to continue to support cooperation in the area.

o The two sides also agreed to expand health cooperation, including in the field of ICT, which was useful in responding to COVID-19.

o Furthermore, considering that non face-to-face communication is increasing in the political, economic, and social sectors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the two sides agreed to further reinforce cooperation in cybersecurity.

5. The meeting participants shared the view that post-COVID-19 economic vitalization would become a challenge facing the international community, and agreed to make joint efforts to maintain the open multilateral order, as foreign trade constitutes a significant part of the economy for both the ROK and the V4 countries.

6. In addition, Deputy Minister Kim and the V4 participants exchanged views on key bilateral issues, and expressed hope that diplomatic schedules that had been somewhat delayed due to COVID-19 would be brought back on track as soon as possible.

7. The ROK and the V4 countries, which affirmed their strong commitment to expand the horizon of exchanges and cooperation in the meeting, are expected to overcome COVID-19 together and develop closer relations in various areas.