Embassy of the Republic of Korea to the Kingdom of Belgium and the European Union and Permanent Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Overview

General

• Country Name : Kingdom of Belgium
  • French : Royaume de Belgique
  • Dutch : Koninkrijk Belgie
  • German : Königreich Belgien
• Official language(s)
  • French, Dutch, German
• Climate
  • Mild climate in most of the regions Mediterranean climate in the South
• Area
  • 30.528 ㎢
• Population
  • 11,400,000 (in 2021.4)
• Capital
  • Brussels(Bruxelles) (Population: approx.1,200,000)
  • Bilingual (French and Dutch)
• Religion
  • Roman Catholicism (75%), Judaism, Protestantism(the Anglican church and the Orthodox church), Islam
• Temperature
  • Maritime temperature
    • Average temperate:
      • Summer : 12-25°C
      • Winter : 0-10°C
    • Annual precipitation:
      • 780 - 850 millimeters

Government and Politics

• Independence day
  • 21, July
• Government
  • Federal parliamentary democracy and Constitutional Monarchy
• Head of the State
  • His Majesty Philippe (King of the Belgians)
• Prime Minister
  • Alexander De Croo
• Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • Hadja Lahbib
• Legislature
  • Bicameral system (Federal parliament: Upper House, Lower House)
• Main Party
  • Social democrats, Liberal democrats, Flemish Nationalists(NVA), Christian democrats, Greens and so on (Political parties are divided into linguistic groups; Dutch speaking parties and Francophone parties)

Economy (2021, IMF)

• GDP
  • $599.9 billion
  • Per capital GDP : $51,875
• External Trade (2021, KITA)
  • Export: $545.3 billion
  • Import: $510.2 billion

Korea and Belgium first established ‘the treaty of friendship’ in 1901 and Belgium was one of the first countries to recognize the Republic of Korea as a sovereign nation when Korea established its government on 15th of August, 1948.

Belgium sent infantrymen to help in the Korean War. Approximately 3,000 infantrymen were sent annually in the fight and 106 of them lost their lives.

Belgium supports our policy towards North Korea, which emphasizes peaceful resolution to the issues of the South and the North through dialogue.

High-level exchanges

Economic relations

Overview

• Belgium’s territory is relatively small and it has a small population in comparison with Korea. It has few natural resources. However, its intermediary and processing trade is well-developed; thus, Korea has had a long-standing close economic relationship with Belgium.
• Belgium was the first European country to dispatch an investment mission to Korea to boost our economy during the economic crisis in 1998.

Bilateral Trade (2022, KITA)

• Exports to Belgium: $5,035 million (Heavy construction equipment, synthetic resin, passenger cars, other automobiles, galvanized steel sheet, etc.)
• Imports from Belgium: $3,130 million (Pharmaceuticals, naphtha, platinum, other fine chemicals, natural gas, etc.)
• Trade statistics over the last few years (Unit: $1 million/The rate of increase and decrease: %)

  Trade statistics over the last few years

  	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
  Export (rate of increase)	2,426 (19.9)	2,795 (15.2)	3,246 (16.1)	2,707 (15.2)	2,753 (1.7)	4,438 (61.2)	5,035 (13.5)
  Import (rate of increase)	1,073 (△25.0)	1,273 (18.7)	1,496 (17.5)	1,323 (△11.6)	1,552 (17.3)	3,424 (120.7)	3,130 (△8.6)
  Total volume	3,499	4,068	4,742	4,030	4,305	7,862	8,165
  Balance of Trade	1,353	1,522	1,750	1,384	1,201	1,014	1,905

  Reference: KITA

Bilateral Investment

• Belgium’s investment in the ROK: 261 cases, $4,018 million (from 1968 to 2022, (The Export-import Bank of Korea))
• The ROK’s investment in Belgium :168 cases, $2,998 million (from 1968 to 2022, (The Export-import Bank of Korea))

Updated on 17 April 2023