During the consultations, the ministers talked about bilateral cooperation, in particular its political and economic dimensions. While discussing the current international situation, Minister Zbigniew Rau and his Korean counterpart Park Jin exchanged views related to the Russian aggression against Ukraine and its implications for the security situation in the Asia-Pacific region in particular. The foreign ministers agreed the two countries share similar views on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The talks demonstrated high dynamics of the strategic partnership and prospects for its further strengthening in many areas, including cybersecurity, investment and military cooperation. They also proved that Poland and the Republic of Korea agree on the most important global issues.

During his visit to Seoul, the head of the Polish MFA also met with Head of the Office of National Security Kim Sung-han and Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se. The talks covered the war in Ukraine and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and in a wider Asia-Pacific region.

Minister Rau visited the demilitarised zone which separates the two Korean states, where he talked with representatives of the UN forces and the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, of which Poland is a member.

The visit to Korea was also an opportunity for Minister Rau to meet with academic staff from the Polish Department of the Hankuk University in Seoul. The head of Polish diplomacy thanked the department’s staff for their contribution and commitment to the promotion of Polish language and culture as well as knowledge about Poland in the Republic of Korea.

On the sidelines of his stay in Seoul, Minister Rau gave an interview to the Yonhap press agency which ranks among the leading South Korean media outlets. He took this occasion to talk about the current state of Poland–South Korea relations, especially as regards the cooperation of both countries in defence industry.

Łukasz Jasina
MFA Spokesperson