KOREAN NET

President Yoon Suk Yeol (fourth from left in front row), on an official visit to Poland, and first lady Kim Keon Hee (fifth from left in front row) on July 12 at a Warsaw hotel pose for a group photo with Korean expats in the Eastern European country at a roundtable event.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, on an official visit to Poland, and first lady Kim Keon Hee on July 12 hosted a dinner and roundtable for Korean expats in the Eastern European country.

After attending the annual NATO summit in Lithuania, the president in the afternoon arrived at Warsaw Chopin Airport in the Polish capital, where he hosted an event at a hotel with some 80 ethnic Koreans.

"Since forming diplomatic relations 34 years ago in 1989, Korea and Poland have built exemplary and mutually beneficial cooperative relations," the president said. "Both countries have now established themselves as each other's important strategic partners."

"Last year, bilateral trade volume reached a record high of around $9 billion," he added. "We expect the estimated 300 Korean companies active in Poland to boost cooperation in areas like the defense industry, nuclear power and high-tech sectors."

President Yoon said the ethnic Korean community in Poland, which primarily comprises expats, scholars, and culture and arts figures, has fostered a culture of mutual assistance since the establishment of diplomatic ties.

Citing the example of providing accommodation and basic necessities to Korean and Ukrainian refugees of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he added, "I hope that we continue building a wonderful expat community through mutual harmony and assistance."

On the Overseas Koreans Agency launched last month in Incheon, the president said, "It will serve as a platform connecting all of you to Korea," adding, "It will become a network for Koreans around the world."

President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim on July 12 clap at a roundtable of Korean expatriates in Poland at a Warsaw hotel.

Photos = Office of the President

By Park Hye Ri
hrhr@korea.kr