The Democratic Party of Korea held talks with ambassadors from the four major Central European nations—Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Poland—known as the Visegrad Group (V4), to discuss expanding economic cooperation on Wednesday.
National Assembly Vice Speaker Lee Hak-young and Democratic Party lawmakers Cho Jung-sik and Lee Jae-jung hosted a breakfast meeting with V4 ambassadors at the National Assembly Members' Office Building. Attendees included Hungarian Ambassador István Szerdahelyi, Slovak Ambassador Marek Repovský, Czech Ambassador Ivan Jančárek, Polish Ambassador Bartosz Wiśniewski, and representatives from Korean companies operating in those countries.
"Cooperation between Korea and the V4 nations has grown steadily each year, with 30% of Korea's exports to the European Union now going to V4 countries," Vice Speaker Lee said. "The government is pursuing supply chain stability and high-tech industry cooperation as core diplomatic priorities, and Korean companies are actively investing in the V4 region in key strategic industries including batteries, electric vehicles, and semiconductors."
Lawmaker Cho emphasized that "V4 nations serve as both a gateway to Europe and key partners for Korea." He added, "Particularly since the Russia-Ukraine war, Europe's security environment and industrial-energy structure are rapidly reorganizing. By combining each other's strengths amid these changes, opportunities for mutual benefit will expand—from supply chain stability to defense and energy cooperation, and even Ukraine reconstruction projects."
Polish Ambassador Bartosz Wiśniewski stated, "Poland is Europe's largest buyer of Korean defense products, and with a population of 27 million, both countries can achieve significant results as strategic partners." He noted that "Polish processed meats, pork, milk, and other food products have entered Korea, but this still accounts for only 10% of bilateral trade volume." The ambassador added, "We are exploring how Polish beef can enter the Korean market. We hope both countries will strengthen their strategic partnership, expand economic cooperation, and collaborate closely on food security."
Rep. Jung Tae-ho, the Democratic Party's chief coordinator on the National Assembly's Strategy and Finance Committee, acknowledged that "the beef import issue is a delicate matter where both countries have different positions," adding that "we confirmed that much dialogue will be needed going forward for both sides to achieve a win-win outcome."
Korean business executives operating in V4 countries also raised concerns. Kim Dong-wook, Executive Vice President of Hyundai Motor Group, requested shorter visa processing times, explaining that "over the next three to four years, Hyundai's Czech plant will require significant equipment installation and construction work for EV production, necessitating Korean technicians to work on-site. However, visa issuance takes one to two months, making it difficult to respond to urgent situations."
Czech Ambassador Ivan Jančárek responded, "We will actively review Korean companies' requests regarding visa issuance," pledging to "examine Korean companies' investment objectives in the Czech Republic and provide full support."