An official visit of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Mr. Han Seung-soo to the Czech Republic came through on April 20-22, 2009. After almost six years, there was the second Prime Minister of this Asian country who visited Prague. On April 21, 2009, he led talks with the Czech Prime Minister Mr. Mirek Topolánek, the major issues having been further deepening of the mutual business cooperation between the two countries and problems of energy security and energy resources. The two statesmen also spoke on their experiences with ongoing crises in Afghanistan, Iraq and other critical areas of the world. „We also discussed our cooperation in the field of science and research, hi-tech, nanotechnologies, IT, shipbuilding and machinery which is our conjoint interest,“ Prime Minister Topolánek later said at a joint press conference.

During the visit, in presence of the two Prime Ministers, a new Agreement on Economic Cooperation was signed by the Minister of Trade and Industry of the Czech Republic Mr. Martin Říman and the First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea Mr. Kwon Jong Rak.

In the afternoon, the RoK Prime Minister was received by the President of the Czech Republic, H.E. Mr. Václav Klaus and by the Speaker of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Mr. Miloslav Vlček. Prime Minister Han also met former Czech Foreign Minister Mr. Jan Kavan, with whom he closely collaborated at United Nations General Assembly which they successively presided to in 2001-02 and 2002-03 respectively.

Wife of  Prime Minister Mrs. Hong Soja paid a visit to the Asian and Korean Exhibition of the Czech National Gallery at the castle of Zbraslav, she had a talk with teachers and students of Korean studies at the Far East Institute of the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, and she did not forbear from a visit to Charlotte Masaryk children´s home.

 

photo: Luděk Krušinský, Office of the Government of the Czech Republic