Prospects for South Korea’s Economic Relations with Hungary and Poland under President Yoon Suk-yeol

Abstract

Asia-EU economic relations have entered into a new era, given that the EU`s free trade agreement (FTA) deal with South Korea was implemented in 2011, then the EU and Japan`s Economic Partnership Agreement entered into force on 1 February 2019 plus China`s growing economic interactions with EU, notwithstanding pending Sino-EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). Against this background, Northeast Asia has now viewed Visegrád Four (V4) countries, namely, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, as a gateway to the EU. Investors from Taiwan, South Korea, China and Japan have greatly increased their investments in the V4 countries. Currently, the EU is Korea`s third-largest trading partner and the largest foreign investor for the country, while Korea is the EU`s 9th largest trading partner. South Korea-EU bilateral trade volume in 2020 recorded about 103 billion dollars, an increase of 3.8% compared to the previous year, despite the negative impact of the pandemics.

文在寅（Moon Jae-in）總統任內在對外關係上重視減少對美中貿易的倚賴，所以積極發展與新興經濟體的政經關係。維西格勒集團四國（Visegrad Four，簡稱V4）因而獲得文在寅政府的青睞，這可從他在2021年11月特地造訪布達佩斯（Budapest）與V4四國總統舉行峰會得以窺出。當然這也是因為南韓企業視V4國家為進軍歐洲聯盟（EU）市場的生產基地有密切的關係。韓企的投資尤其偏好波蘭與匈牙利，並聚焦於電動汽車的電池相關的生產。同時，文在寅政府已發現V4 四國是南韓出口核能與武器的極具潛力的市場。