North Macedonia and Korea establish ties

The Republic of North Macedonia has become the 191st country to formally establish diplomatic relations with Korea.

Ambassador to the United Nations Cho Tae-yul signed the joint communique with Sanja Zografska Krsteska, North Macedonia’s charge d’affaires at the United Nations (UN) on Thursday, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The ministry said the nation can expect to see increased bilateral exchanges with North Macedonia both at the governmental and private levels, as well as a boost in cooperation in the Balkan region.

North Macedonia, located on the Balkan Peninsula with a population of two million, had been at odds with Greece over its use of “Macedonia” as its name since it declared independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991.

Greece had objected to the name citing historical and geographical ambiguities, but the dispute ended last year when the two sides agreed on a renaming the country the Republic of North Macedonia.

Greece was a participant in the 1950-53 Korean War and is a key South Korean trading partner in the shipping and maritime sectors. Syria, Kosovo and Cuba are the only remaining UN member states yet to forge diplomatic ties with Korea.

Yonhap