1. Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias of Greece will pay an official visit to the Republic of Korea from November 30 till December 2 and hold a meeting with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on November 30.

° Greece is one of the ROK’s allies that fought alongside the latter in the Korean War. Today, it is the world’s top powerhouse in maritime transport and No. 1 purchaser of ROK-built ships.

※ Greece sent a total of some 10,000 troops to the ROK during the Korean War, out of which 186 were killed with another 610 wounded.

※ Greece, the owner of 16% of the world’s total commercial ships, placed orders for 22 vessels to the ROK from January till August 2017, 22% of the total amount of order landed by Korean shipbuilders.

2. In their upcoming meeting, the two Foreign Ministers will extensively discuss matters of mutual concern, including ways to enhance the ROK-Greece friendship; ways to step up substantive cooperation in such areas as maritime transport, shipbuilding, the e-government system, and transportation infrastructure; and the situations on the Korean Peninsula and in South Europe.

3. The forthcoming visit of Minister Kotzias to the ROK is expected to serve as an opportunity to broaden and increase cooperation with Greece, the ROK’s strong ally that fought alongside it in the Korean War and its main partner in maritime transport and shipbuilding.


* unofficial translation