[Unofficial Translation] 

Prime Minister Petr Fiala, people of the Czech Republic,

I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude for the warm hospitality extended to me and my delegation today.

At the summit yesterday, President Petr Pavel and I agreed that the Republic of Korea and the Czech Republic – as strategic partners that share common values – should jointly respond to global challenges based on our history of bilateral cooperation and the achievement we have made to date.

On the second day of my official visit to Czechia today, Prime Minister Fiala and I traveled to Plzeň. In Plzeň, we saw the immense potential for bilateral collaboration in energy and cutting-edge industries.

And earlier at the summit meeting, Prime Minister Fiala and I had in-depth discussions on ways to further develop the strategic partnership between the Republic of Korea and the Czech Republic.

I’d like to take this opportunity to briefly share the key outcomes and agreements from today’s meeting.

First, we concurred that the nuclear reactor construction projects in Dukovany for which Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power was selected as the preferred bidder, will serve as a critical milestone in dramatically advancing our strategic partnership.

We also agreed to maintain close communication to ensure that the rest of the process proceeds smoothly until the final contract is signed and the Dukovany nuclear power plant projects become the model case for forward-looking cooperation between our countries.

I thanked Prime Minister Fiala for the trust that the Czech government has placed in the capabilities and vision of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, and pledged to pay special attention to ensuring that the Dukovany projects contribute to the strengthening of the national competitiveness of Czechia, cultivating human resources, and fostering its regional economies.

In addition, I expressed my willingness to institutionalize our comprehensive nuclear power cooperation by utilizing Korean company’s participation in the Dukovany nuclear power plant projects as a catalyst. This will allow us to take our cooperation beyond nuclear power plant construction to include joint R&D and training programs. Based on this comprehensive cooperation, I expect that Korea and Czechia, as strategic partners, will forge a “nuclear energy alliance” with a shared vision for the next century.

Second, our two countries agreed to push for full-fledged economic cooperation including in the industry, energy and supply chains sectors.

The Trade and Investment Promotion Framework signed by our two countries during my visit will further promote mutual investments and expand bilateral trade which has hit a record high for the fourth year in a row.

Moreover, Prime Minister Fiala and I agreed to expand our mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation beyond the manufacturing sector into high value-added sectors such as cutting-edge technology, transportation, infrastructure and future mobility.

In particular, we also agreed to strengthen cooperation in the green energy sector and high-tech industries, including hydrogen, batteries, advanced robots and electric vehicles.

We will pursue a new leap for our industries and economies by combining Czechia’s manufacturing base with Korea’s technological prowess. We will also work together on industrial technology R&D and on identifying future growth engines.

Third, we agreed to expand bilateral cooperation to include the transportation infrastructure sector by working together on high-speed rail construction.

Of particular note, our intergovernmental MOU on Cooperation in the Field of Railways, including High-Speed Rails will lay the foundation for Korean businesses, with their world-class technology and competitiveness, to support Czechia’s industrial advancement and, going further, to pursue entry into the European railroad market.

Fourth, we agreed to expand joint research and people-to-people exchanges in the high-tech science and technology sectors.

During my visit to Czechia, research institutes and universities from both countries agreed to forge ties to promote science and technology cooperation in various fields such as biohealth, aerospace, chemistry, advanced materials, digital technology and nuclear energy.

Over the next 10 years, the Korean government will invest $37 million to facilitate joint R&D projects between our two countries in such areas as nuclear fuel technology, synthetic new drugs and artificial intelligence.

With this investment, I hope that the bilateral cooperation in cutting-edge science and technology serves as the driving force that will take our strategic partnership to a new level.

Today, we adopted a joint statement laying out the vision for the development of Korea-Czechia relations as well as an action plan with concrete steps towards future cooperation.

Based on these two documents, the Republic of Korea and the Czech Republic will overcome common challenges and expand mutually beneficial cooperation as global partners.

Once again, I express my deepest gratitude to Prime Minister Fiala and the Czech people for their warm hospitality and friendship.

Thank you.