Slovakia's top diplomat talks 'higher level' partnership with South Korea in business, culture, defense

Diplomacy

Published: 28 May. 2024, 14:18

Slovakia's top diplomat talks 'higher level' partnership with South Korea in business, culture, defense

Juraj Blanar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia, speaks during an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily at the Slovakian Embassy in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on May 13. [PARK SANG-MOON]

It is now not uncommon to see logos of South Korean conglomerates all across Europe, on cars, televisions, mobile phones and even on billboards. The South Korean economic and commercial presence is unmistakable on the European continent, and is also pronounced in a particular country with which South Korean exports reached $5.97 billion in 2022 — Slovakia.

Some 140 South Korean companies are operating in the country, with a 1.6-square kilometer (396-acre) high-tech factory owned by Kia outside Žilina, a town northeast of the Slovakian capital, Bratislava. These are tangible indicators of the significance of South Korea-Slovakia economic ties.

But Juraj Blanár, Slovakia’s foreign minister, who visited Seoul in May, envisions those ties developing to an even “higher level.”

Blanár also said that introducing Slovakia’s “defense production to South Korea” and finding “any cooperation in this field” is of interest to his country, and that Slovakia’s position is “very clear” regarding North Korea’s arms trade with Russia.

Blanár sat down with the Korea JoongAng Daily on May 13 for an interview at the Slovakian Embassy in Yongsan District, central Seoul, discussing the ways in which South Korea and Slovakia's economic and technological cooperation could deepen, possible defense industry collaboration and Slovakia’s position on Pyongyang’s ties with Moscow.

He was visiting Korea with an economic delegation for the opening of the Slovakian consulate in Ulsan and meetings with the South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul.

The following are edited excerpts of the interview.

Q. Kia has a factory in Žilina, and companies like Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Mobis have a big presence in Slovakia. What do you wish to see in terms of increased investment by Korean corporations in your country?

A: We in Slovakia really appreciate those investments from companies such as Kia, Samsung and Hyundai. There are more than 100 South Korean companies operating in Slovakia, and since Kia came to Žilina in 2004, it has had a very big impact on our region and the country as well from a wide range of aspects. But we want to elevate such cooperation to the higher level — to persuade companies to find other investors and to invest in higher value-added sectors, in technologies and R&D.

This is why I have brought a business delegation with me on this trip, including representatives of Slovak universities and the Exim Bank. What we want to do is to establish a new era of cooperation. We visited Ulsan to open our new general consulate there, and I hope this will contribute to the new era.

We would also like to elevate our cooperation from economic investment to a political one — to a strategic partnership between our countries. We think that South Korea is the most important partner for Slovakia in Asia. We share the same democratic values and respect international law, so there is significant potential for higher cooperation between our countries.

During your meeting with Korean Ambassador to Slovakia Lee Byeong-do in January, you said that the Slovak government is looking for ways to make Slovakia more attractive to Korean investors. Could you elaborate on these efforts?

We would like to promote investment in higher value-added sectors in our cooperation with South Korea, and we have introduced several tools for this at the governmental level. For example, there is a type of tax incentive we provide called super deduction, supporting companies conducting R&D. In Slovakia, companies can also make use of European funds, and we have introduced other investment incentive programs at the governmental level to encourage more foreign investment.

In 2021 and 2022, reports came out that Slovakia is seeking to purchase Korean-made FA50 aircrafts for its military. Is this deal ongoing, and what is Slovakia seeking in terms of arms procurement from Korea?

I think this is a question that hits the nail on the head because this is a much-discussed issue in Slovakia right now. Our airspace is protected by our neighbors because we don’t have any fighter jets. We are waiting for our own new fighter jets from the United States, the F-16, but this delivery has been delayed for more than a year. We are very much interested in training jets from South Korea, which could help our pilots in training.

Regarding the defense industry, our country was focused on heavy industry during the former Czechoslovakia, especially in the region where I myself come from. We have very specialized labor and skilled engineers in the defense industry, and we would like to introduce our defense production to South Korea and find any cooperation in this field as well.

Russian media reported that Slovakia does not consider Western data on the transfer of North Korean weapons to Russia to be consistent or reliable. But South Korean intelligence indicates that North Korea has shipped more than 6,700 containers of munitions to Russia. What is Slovakia's position on the arms trade between North Korea and Russia?

Our position is very clear. As I said before, we respect international law and the UN Security Council resolutions. Two of those very resolutions on non-proliferation and denuclearization regarding North Korea were adopted during Slovakia’s non-permanent membership of the Security Council. As you mentioned, more than 6,000 containers were transferred from North Korea with ammunitions and weapons and missiles. We strongly condemn this violation of the Security Council resolutions and we share this with South Korea and other partners on the multilateral level as well.

With the rise of Hallyu, more Slovakians are becoming interested in Korea, and exchange programs in universities of the two countries are expanding. How could Slovakia and South Korea increase cooperation in the cultural sector and what, in your view, is the appeal of Slovakia as a country to visit and explore for East Asians, including Koreans?

I definitely believe that our relations will deepen and develop, and at this level, we would like to see cooperation between the universities in Slovakia and in South Korea. We would also like to introduce Slovakia as a friendly country to South Koreans and for them to see that there is big potential from the tourism point of view as well. And I have experience with colleagues who are working in the South Korean companies in Slovakia, who I met on my occasions, and they really appreciate the landscape and the surroundings of our country. The baths and thermal springs in Slovakia are also tourist attractions that could encourage South Korean visitors.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]