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President Park Geun-hye and Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka pose for a picture at the Liechtenstein Palace in Prague on Dec. 3. The two leaders discussed further partnerships in nuclear energy, scientific research and national defense.

President Park Geun-hye met Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka on Dec. 3 at Prague Castle where they discussed measures to expand cooperation between the two countries, following their agreement in February to build a more cooperative partnership.

The leaders, first, agreed to deepen their partnership covering nuclear energy. Explaining his country’s plans to build new nuclear power plants and to soon begin negotiating with potential providers, the Czech prime minister appreciated the Korea Electric Power Corporation’s interest in the project.

Assuring her Czech host that a Korean corporation would be the best partner for the new nuclear power project, President Park called for “inclusive cooperation” ranging from power plant construction and technological exchanges through to official EU certification. The president also suggested they raise their partnership up to a level where the two countries could then jointly work on a third country’s nuclear energy program.

The two also discussed their deepening partnership in science and technology. Sobotka hoped to “have more opportunities to work with Korea, whose cutting-edge technology and applied sciences are the best in the world.” Mentioning the memorandum of understanding signed between the Korea Institute for the Advancement of Technology and the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, the Czech leader said that he expects to “increase joint research between Korean and Czech research institutes.”

In reply, President Park said that she hopes to combine Korea’s competence in the applied sciences with the Czech Republic’s strengths in pure research, and collaborate in the fields of automobile parts, smart devices and other high-tech manufacturing areas. Choosing transport as one of the primary fields for further collaboration, the president said that she hopes the two countries would work together on the Czech Republic’s high-speed rail line and its smart transport network.

Reviewing their partnership on national defense, since the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding earlier this year when the Czech prime minister visited Seoul, the Korean leader requested that the prime minister consider the Korea-made KAI KUH-1 Surion utility helicopter as a candidate for the country’s multipurpose combat helicopter.

The two leaders adopted an action plan that runs from 2016 to 2018 where they will implement the bilateral “strategic partnership” agreed upon during the Czech prime minister’s visit to Seoul earlier this year. This plan includes specific measures to deepen their partnership in terms of diplomacy and national defense, in terms of the economy and the business environment, and in terms of the arts and tourism, as well as in human resource management.

Finally, showing her appreciation for the Czech Republic’s contributions to peace on the Korean Peninsula, as the former Czechoslovakia was a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, and for its continued assistance concerning North Korea, President Park asked for the Czech Republic’s help and support for Korea’s efforts to unify the peninsula.

By Wi Tack-whan, Chang Iou-chung
Korea.net Staff Writers
Photo: Cheong Wa Dae
whan23@korea.kr