1. Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Yeo Seung Bae visited Hungary from September 15 to 17 and had meetings with State Secretary Orsolya Pacsay-Tomassich and Deputy State Secretary and Political Director Istvan Balogh and a luncheon with Deputy State Secretary for Investment Promotion Dorottya Martonffy-Nagy to discuss bilateral relations between Korea and Hungary, cooperation in the international arena, and regional and global affairs.

2. Deputy Minister Yeo said that, based on active economic cooperation, Korea advanced overall relations with Hungary including through high-level and people-to-people exchanges with the first country in the Eastern Bloc to have established diplomatic ties with Korea (February 1, 1989). He voiced hope to further promote cooperation in various fields including science and technology, cultural exchanges and public health.

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° With regard to the EU Commission’s ongoing in-depth review of subsidies for Korean companies, he asked for the interest and support of the Hungarian government so that Korean companies can receive subsidies as promised.

3. Deputy Minister Yeo extended appreciation to the Hungarian government for its active cooperation not only in handling the aftermath of the boat accident that had occurred on May 29, 2019 in Budapest but also in holding the unveiling of a memorial for the victims by the Danube in May 2021. He also asked for the Hungarian government’s keen attention to ensure that judicial proceedings are conducted fairly and promptly.

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° He visited the memorial on September 16 and expressed condolences to the victims and their bereaved families by offering a wreath.

4. The Hungarian side expressed its gratitude for large-scale investments by Korean companies in high-tech fields such as electric vehicle batteries and promised to continue supporting and paying attention to Korean companies in Hungary.

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° It also promised to do its best to continuously guarantee entry of Korean businesspeople into Hungary to prevent disruption in their business in the country, considering that Korea is one of the main investor countries in Hungary.

5. Deputy Minister Yeo explained the current situation on the Korean Peninsula and efforts of the Korean government to establish permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. The Hungarian government reaffirmed its support for the Korean government’s efforts towards peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

6. Deputy Minister Yeo’s visit to Hungary is seen to have served as an opportunity to deepen friendly cooperative ties and discuss ways to promote substantive cooperation with Hungary, which is one of Korea’s major investment and trade destinations in the European Union as well as the chair country of the V4, a group of major partner countries for Korea’s diplomatic diversification.