At the South Korean-Hungarian business forum held on Friday in Seoul, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán encouraged South Korean companies to take advantage of the opportunities provided by Hungarian economic strategy and to invest in Hungary.
At the event, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced that the South Korean automotive components manufacturer Woory Industries has chosen the Hungarian city of Komárom as the site of its new production facility. The investment of USD 35 million planned for the 2015-2018 period will create 120 new jobs in the first phase, with the number of employees increasing to as many as 250 later. Both Viktor Orbán and Péter Szijjártó underlined the importance of such investments in Hungary, which is the „flagship of the European automotive industry”.
The Prime Minister drew the attention of the over 200 businesspeople present at the forum to the Hungarian agriculture and food industry, which is an advantage as a result of strict food safety regulations and Hungary’s GMO-free status. He also pointed out the fields of water management, the chemicals and health industry, and environmental protection as potential areas for investment. He reassured the audience of the Government’s aim to provide the lowest industry sector energy prices in Europe.
At the joint press conference held after the meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Viktor Orbán emphasised the important role that South Korean companies play in Hungary, mentioning Samsung and Hankook, as flagship South Korean companies that are highly respected in Hungary. The Prime Minister added that Hungary would also welcome increased participation by medium-sized South Korean companies.
„The future means creativity, quality and innovation, and within these fields we are looking for a strong supporting partner in South Korea”, the Prime Minister said. He also announced that Hungary will launch a fellowship programme within the framework of which 100 new scholarships-a-year will be offered to South Korean students.
The Prime Minister pointed out that South Korea has shown impressive development in recent years, for which Hungary respects the Asian country and is proud of the fact that it was the first ex-Soviet bloc country to establish diplomatic relations with South Korea. He also said that the two countries represent the same standpoint on issues relating to North Korea, and the Hungarian Government fully supports South Korea’s efforts to reunite the two countries. „We believe that every nation has the right to live in unity, within the framework of one state.”, he said. The Prime Minister also assured the audience that he would also support a policy of Korean-European cooperation within the European Union.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye emphasised that the two countries are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year. She talked about the increasing trade and investment volume between the countries and also pointed out that there is a mutual understanding with the Hungarian Prime Minister in matters relating to cooperation in science, technology, environmental protection and defence.
The President mentioned the Hungarian helicopter tender to be expected in the near future. She also said that she completely agrees with the Prime Minister that North Korea must never use nuclear weapons and must end experimental programmes in this field.
After the plenary meeting of the delegations, the representatives of the two countries signed a number of agreements: Minister for National Development Miklós Seszták, Minister for Human Capacities Zoltán Balog and the President of the National Innovation Office concluded agreements on aviation, education and technology, respectively.