Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met this afternoon with a business delegation from the Republic of Korea at Maximos Mansion.
During the discussion with officials of leading Korean businesses, the Prime Minister noted that the government’s strategic goal is to strengthen economic relations and exchanges between Greece and the Republic of Korea, in the context of a broader opening of the Greek economy to Asia.
It was stressed that there are many areas of common interest, such as the green transition, decarbonization in maritime transport, the utilization of technology in civil protection, the expansion of digitization in state services and the development of tourism.
In this context, it was pointed out that Greece could become a gateway to serve Europe’s energy needs, especially as the adoption of new fuels such as hydrogen increases.
The two sides also referred to the possibility of attracting visitors from Korea to Greece and a direct air link between the two countries, while taking advantage of the fact that Korea has one of the most productive entertainment industries in the world, while Greece offers a particularly attractive package of incentives for audiovisual productions.
The Prime Minister stressed that Greece is a country that is growing dynamically, at a much faster pace than the eurozone average, attracts a large volume of foreign direct investment, has a highly skilled workforce and offers many opportunities in a number of sectors where it has comparative advantages.
The two sides agreed to continue their contacts and deepen their cooperation at a high level in the near future. It was also noted that it is the first time that the Republic of Korea will participate at the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair, with its own kiosk.
The meeting was attended, from the Greek side, by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Economic Diplomacy and Openness Kostas Fragogiannis, the Director of the Prime Minister’s Diplomatic Office, Ambassador Anna – Maria Boura, the Chief Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister Alexis Patelis and the Advisor to the Prime Minister for Global Affairs and Strategic Communications, Aristotelia Peloni.
On the Korean side, participants included Korean Trade and Industry Chamber President and President of SK Group, Chey Taewon, Executive Vice President for innovation at SK Group, Yoosuk Kim, Vice President and CEO of Hyundai Heavy Industries, Ka Sam Hyun, President of Hanwha Aerospace and of Hanwha Foundation of Culture, Shin Hyun Woo, Vice President of Hyundai Motor Europe, Kim Yong Jin, Vice President of the Korean Trade and Industry Chamber, Lee Seong Woo, and Vice President and General Manager of Operations at the Export-Import Bank of Korea, Kwon Woo Seog. Also attending the meeting was the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Greece, Lee Jung Il.
