President Moon attended the V4-Korea Business Forum held in Budapest, Hungary, on November 3. V4 is Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Below is an excerpt of Moon’s speech on the day: 

V4 is growing most dynamically in Europe by using locational advantages that bridge west and east. South Korea has a great manufacturing power and we can work together in various filed such as electric vehicle, hydrogen, health and infrastructure. 

It was 1989 when Samsung Electronics opened a TV factory in a small city in Hungary that South Korea and Europe first sparked economic cooperation. Back then the factory made 400 TVs a day. It is making 40,000 TVs a day now and they are sold all over Europe. In 2007, Hyundai and Kia started operation in Czech and Slovakia which now takes 7% of global output. 

As of 2021, more than 600 companies are operating in V4 with accumulated investment go over $10 billion. V4 now has become the South Korea’s biggest investment destination in Europe. Today, South Korea and V4 have signed 7 MOUs in green, digital and bio and together will will fly high and the sky will be our limit. 

Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Taewon Choi said “V4 has excellent human resource which is a factor that attracts Korean companies. In addition, the EU’s green policy is playing advantageous in operating all three of South Korean battery makers in the region to meet the EU’s goal to reduce carbon dioxide by 1%. 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said “It is amazing that one of the poorest countries in the world 50 years ago is now the 10th economic power in the world.”

South Korea-Costa Rica Summit

President Moon met Costa Rica President Carlos Andrés Alvarado Quesada on November 23 at the Blue House. The two leaders agreed to raise relations to an action-oriented comprehensive partnership alongside cooperation in green environment, digital, science and technology and infrastructure. 

Moon said that he was impressed by Alvarado’s presentation on climate change policy at the COP26 Summit and he hoped cooperation in related fields between the two countries. 

Alvarado emphasized that South Korea is the first country to visit since his inauguration and he showed his gratitude to South Korean government’s offering cooperation especially the quarantine support. Alvarado hoped that South Korea would see Costa Rica as its strategic partner that covers Central America and the Caribbean Sea. 

Alvarado pointed out that both countries were already working together in various fields such as digital, science and technology, aerospace, tourism, movie industry, hydrogen and electric mobility. He said that Costa Rica would take South Korean cars as top priority when turning public transportation into electric and hydrogen. He then asked Moon to visit Costa Rica. 

Moon said South Korea is pushing forward proactive cooperation in the region through the SICA (Central American Integration System) and the CABEI (Central American Bank for Economic Integration) and hoped that the agreed cooperation fields between the two countries would bring substantial results. <PowerKorea>

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