2014 April

02/04/2014 Daegu

Ambassador Gabor Csaba paid a courtesy visit to Daegu city on 1 April 2014. During his program Ambassador Csaba met Daegu city Mayor Kim Bum-il and Lee Jae-nyung, President of the Korea-Hungary Friendship Society in Daegu. Ambassador Csaba also paid a visit to the office of Synn Il-hee, President of Keimyung University and Dean Chong Soon-mo.

Further main purpose of the visit was the moving of the Habsburg exhibition from the Palace Museum in Seoul to the museum of Keimyung University (Hengso Museum). The exhibition was opened to highlight the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the university and will be open to the public from April 1 – June 14, 2014 in Daegu.


 

11/04/2014 Seoul

The Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry oragnized a business seminar on the investment environment in the Visegrad 4 countries on 10 April 2014. The event was meant to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the EU accession of the V4 countries and to direct the interest of Korean SMEs towards the V4 region.

The recent V4 investment seminar was organized in a special framework. First the representative of Hyundai Economic Research Institute held a presentation about the area, highlighting the benefits of the location, the high level of education, skilled labour and technical knowledge available. The introduction was followed by 15-minute presentations of Korean companies talking about their experiences in the area. The representative of Wooshin Medics presented the company’s project in Hungary and explained that the main reasons behind deciding for a project in Hungary included the available level of R&D, the development of the local pharmaceutical industry, skilled labour, available logistics and the governmental subsidy received.

Keynote speeches were delivered by H.E. Dusan Bella, Ambassador of Slovakia and Paolo Caridi, Head of the Trade Section of the EU Delegation, enhancing the economic importance of the V4 countries within the EU based on their cooperation and their accumulated output.

The seminar was attended by ca. 100 businessmen, the Hungarian representative of trade and commerce held bilateral discussions with 12 Korean companies.
 

14/04/2014 Pyongyang

Ambassador Gabor Csaba presented his Letter of Credence to His Excellency Kim Yong-nam, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on April 10, 2014. Consultation on issues related to visa and other consular affairs remains with the Embassy of Hungary in Beijing.

16/04/2014 Seoul

Ambassador Gábor Csaba paid a courtesy visit to Yonsei University on 14 April 2014, where he was welcomed by President Jeong Gap-young and Vice President Mo Jongryn, Office of International Affairs. Being the oldest private university in Korea, Yonsei University was established in 1885 by Christian missionaries and belongs to the top-ranked elite universities (SKY) in Korea. Yonsei is one of the most important research centers of Korea, faculty members are conducting cutting-edge research across all academic disciplines. Yonsei is proud of its history and reputation as a leading institution of higher education and research in Asia. Yonsei has around 28.000 students, the number of foreign students surpasses 1.300. Yonsei University does not have a broad student exchange network in Middle-Europe yet, its Hungarian university partners are ELTE and the Budapest Technical University. At present there are 3 Hungarian students studying at Yonsei University.

18/04/2014 Busan

Ambassador Gabor Csaba paid a courtesy visit to Busan, the second largest city in Korea on 16-17 April 2014. During his program Ambassador Csaba met Busan city Mayor Hur Nam-sik, as well as the leadership of the Busan Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI) and the President of Busan National University. Ambassador Csaba held a lecture for postgraduate students at the EU Center of PNU, met Hungarian piano professor Ernő Fehér teaching at the Music Faculty of PNU and professor Brian Myers DPRK expert from Dongseo University. On the second day of his program Ambassador Csaba attended the Busan Art Show, where he paid a visit to the booth of the Hungarian Faur Zsófi Gallery. It was the first time that the Busan Art Show registered a Hungarian exhibitor.

22/04/2014 Seoul

The Embassy of Hungary has participated at the biggest wine and spirits festival of South Korea held in Seoul between the 17-19 April. The fair attracted more visitors than ever, producers from all around the world presented their products on 160 booths. The Hungarian booth was offering wines from several Hungarian producers and spirits “pálinka” from the Márkházi Spirits Ltd for tasting. Visitors including several Korean importers and restaurants expressed their keen interest in the famous spirits from Hungary, unknown in Korea.

29/04/2014 Goyang

The Division I World Championship was hosted by Goyang city between 20-26 April 2014 with the participation of Hungary. The Hungarian team arrived with a strong fan base counting 80 people, the biggest number of Hungarian supporters ever present in Korea. Ambassador Gabor Csaba attended the opening match Hungary vs. South Korea (Hungary winning over Korea 7:4). Following the game Hungary vs. Slovenia Ambassador Csaba met the leadership of the Hungarian icehockey team, greeted the players and gave interview for the Hungarian newspaper National Sport (Nemzeti Sport).
 

30/04/2014 Seoul

In the joint organisation of the Embassy of Hungary in Seoul and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Hungarian Department a scientific conference was oragnised at HUFS to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Hungary. The event took place at the International Conference Hall (Minerva Complex) of HUFS, opening messages on behalf of the hosts were delivered by Park Soo-Young (HUFS, Head of Hungarian Department) and Gabor Csaba, Ambassador of Hungary. Welcoming address was delivered by Kim, Inchul (President of HUFS), followed by the congratulatory remarks of Kim Taehwan (President of Korean-Hungarian Friendship Association).

The two major parts of the conference included four 15-minute presentations each. Panel discussions were moderated by experts of the respective domain and visitors were offered the chance to ask questions and seek for answer from the speakers.

List of presentation topics and speakers:

History and economics panel

· The Past, Present and Future of Economic Relations between Hungary and Korea - A Wider than Usual Perspective / Hernádi, András (MTA) - represented by Levente Pallos, First Secreatry (Embassy of Hungary in Seoul)

· The Trade Route between Korea-Hungary for the New Way of Economic Cooperation / Seo, Daesung (HUFS)

· Symbolic Persons and New Findings on the Field of Early Korea-Hungary relations / Csoma, Mózes (ELTE)

· The Path to the Establishment of Hungarian-South Korean Diplomatic Relations: The Soviet Bloc and the Republic of Korea, 1964-1988 / Szalontai, Balázs (Kookmin Univ.)

Korean and Hungarian studies panel

· On the 25 Year History of Korean Language Teaching in Hungary / Osváth, Gábor (ELTE) - represented by Tibor Baloghdi, Counsellor (Embassy of Hungary in Seoul)

· The Current Status and Development of Korean Studies in Hungary / Chung, Jinwon (Korea Univ.)

· Teaching Hungarian as a Second Language at HUFS: Recollections of a Veteran / Kovács, Sándor (HUFS)

· The Current State and Perspectives of Hungarian Studies in the Republic of Korea / Yoo, Jinil (HUFS)