Hungary in brief

Hungary in brief

Capital: Budapest

Major cities: Debrecen, Miskolc, Szeged, Pecs

Official language: Hungarian

Population: About 10 million

Religion: Roman Catholic, Calvinist, etc.

Area: 35,919 square miles

Number of Korean expats: About 1,400 (2014)

Groundbreaking ties

Diplomatic ties between Hungary and Korea were established on Feb. 1, 1989, making Hungary the first country in the former Eastern Bloc to have official ties with South Korea.

Manufacturing trade

According to the latest Hungarian statistics, Korean exports to Hungary in the first 11 months of 2015 reached $1.38 billion and consisted mainly of liquid crystal displays, auto parts and electronic parts.

During the same period, Hungarian exports to Korea, mainly auto parts, medical equipment and machinery, totaled $444 million, and registered a 41 percent increase over the same period in 2014.

Major investment

Hungary has become a major destination for Korean investments in Central Europe. Samsung Electronics, Hankook Tire, Hanon Systems, Samyang and several dozens of other Korean companies have invested an aggregate $2.2 billion in Hungary, with several of them having expanded their operations significantly over the years.

Historical tourism

Hungary is a predominantly flat country with a long history, including old towns and castles, many rivers and lakes, a great reservoir of thermal spring water - resulting in a flourishing spa culture that one might call a “thermal wonderland” - and many regions ideally suited for quality wine production.

Of great interest to Korean travelers might be Heviz, where Europe’s largest hot-water lake is situated, and a great number of hot baths are housed in spectacularly restored old buildings, some of which date back several centuries.

Edit Csaba

Born in Budapest, Edit Csaba holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and has been working in the Hungarian foreign service for over 20 years, her first foreign post being in Helsinki, Finland.

Since 1997, Csaba has accompanied her husband to Washington, D.C.; Canberra, Australia; and Seoul. She has participated in several charity activities and is now fervently involved in the Ambassador Spouses’ Association in Seoul and the Seoul International Women’s Association. She has two daughters, ages 9 and 11.

Hungarian Ambassador Gabor Csaba

Ambassador Gabor Csaba arrived in Korea in September 2013. Prior to his assignment, he was director general in charge of the Americas at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2011-13), served as the ambassador to Australia (also accredited to New Zealand) between 2007 and 2011, and as a foreign policy analyst at the embassy in Washington, D.C. (1997-2002).

Csaba earned his master’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University in 1994 and in economics from the Budapest University of Economics in 1992.