Rossen Zhelyazkov met with the Speaker of the Korean Parliament

The Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Kim Jin-pyo, is on an official visit to Bulgaria on February 12, at the invitation of the Speaker of Bulgaria’s Parliament. This is the first visit at the level of Speaker of the Korean Parliament.

"I am sincerely happy about your visit and I hope it will mark the beginning of the intensification of political exchanges between Bulgaria and the Republic of Korea, Bulgaria’s Parliament Speaker, Rosen Zhelyazkov, said. He stressed that a Bulgaria-Republic of Korea Friendship Group has already been established in the Bulgarian Parliament, which will encourage cooperation between the legislative bodies and promote friendly relations between our countries. This would facilitate the elevation of our relations to the level of a comprehensive and future-oriented "strategic partnership", Rosen Zhelyazkov added.

Bulgaria would like to attract more Korean investments in key economic sectors such as high-tech, energy, environment, healthcare, as well as the production of automotive components, wine and organic food, the NA Speaker stressed.

"Our priority is the expansion of Bulgarian exports in terms of volume and scope, Rosen Zhelyazkov said. He noted that for the first 9 months of 2023 the total trade with the Republic of Korea was worth 344.7 million USD. The increase compared to the same period of 2022 is 27.2 percent, but there is still untapped potential," the NA Speaker added.

We can note that the level of total trade between the Republic of Korea and Bulgaria is gradually recovering after significant decline during the Covid-19 pandemic, Kim Jin-pyo said. However, it is important to underline that there is untapped potential in economic relations that needs to be exploited, he said.

The Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea noted that his country is interested in joint initiatives in energy, the production of automotive parts and improving transport infrastructure. Trade and investment partnership will be an important factor in deepening our bilateral relations, Kim Jin-pyo added.

We highly appreciate the support that the Republic of Korea is giving to Bulgaria in its aspiration to become a member of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Rosen Zhelyazkov said. He was assured by his Korean counterpart that the Republic of Korea is ready to share its experience in the accession process and to assist Bulgaria until it joins the Organization.

We are ready to work closely to increase Korean investments in Bulgaria, Kim Jin-pyo stressed. He specified that the next step in this direction would be the visit of a delegation with representatives of Korean companies to Bulgaria to get acquainted on the spot with the conditions and opportunities for the implementation of joint projects.

"The bridge between Bulgaria and the Republic of Korea is also the young people who are interested in learning the language and getting to know the culture and traditions of the two countries, Rosen Zhelyazkov said. He stressed that in recent years in Bulgaria many young people want to learn Korean language, and there is even a school where their education starts from the first grade. The Korean government grants scholarships to students from Bulgaria and expects to find an optimal mechanism for more Korean students to also have the opportunity to study in Bulgaria," the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea said.