Relations between the EU and Korea are in good shape
In substance they are even better than they seem to be at a first glance. Why is the European Union important for Korea and why do Europeans need Korea? First and above all, the EU embodies the core values of free civilisations and human rights as does Korea after committing itself to a true and viable democracy. We share essentially the same values. Secondly, we have common experiences. Many of today's EU members fought under the United Nations command in the Korean war. Both Korea and Europe had to live with a long period of division and unequal development opportunities. Europeans overcame the division of their continent when the Cold War ended, the democratic movements in Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Poland gained the upper hand, Germany became re-united after the Berlin wall fell in 1989 and our allies and friends were supportive. The lessons to be drawn from this historic change are being studied in Korea with great interest and care.
Thirdly, the EU is now the second largest trading partner for Korea. Our total trade volume approached 72 billion US-dollars last year. Koreans and Europeans are more and more involved in significant partnerships and joint projects.
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