Prof. Chong Ilyoung, Ambassador Jaroslav Olša, jr. and Director General Vítězslav Grepl (in the center, left to right), Prof. Kim Kyuchin (extreme left) and Prof. Kwon Jae-il (extreme right) with the Korean students

Photo by Ivana Bozděchová

Exhibition on the history of Czech-Korean contacts which date as far back as the end of the 19th century has been opened at Yongin campus of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries. Korean students from the Department of Czech and Slovak studies showed a series of Czech folk dances on this occasion. The official opening was officiated by Ambassador Vítězslav Grepl, Director General for Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Prof. Chong Ilyoung, Vicepresident of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Republic of Korea Jaroslav Olša, jr. Present were also leading Korea experts on the Czech republic – former Vice President of HUFS Professor Kim Kyuchin and Director of Czech and Slovak Dept. of HUFS Professor Kwon Jae-il.

The exhibition shows a long history of Czech-Korean contacts, which started as early as in 1886, when the first Czech-born traveller set foot on Korean soil. Since then Czech and Korean history has been interconnected many times – although our countries are divided by half of a planet. It was The Czechoslovak Legion which was helping Korean independence activists and fighters in 1918-1920 (see http://www.mzv.cz/public/5a/a8/87/342876_147777_Czechs_Backed_March_1_Movement.pdf), but only 20 years ago, the diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea were established (see http://www.mzv.cz/seoul/en/bilateral_relations/czech_korean_encounters_through_the/relations_between_former_czechoslovakia.html)