EU marks Europe Day in Seoul

The Delegation of the European Union to Korea celebrated Europe Day in Seoul on Friday.

Commemorating 75 years since the Schuman Declaration, widely regarded as the foundation of European integration, the event featured exhibition booths from 25 EU member states and corporate partners showcasing European food, beverages and culture.

Among the attendees were South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and First Vice Minister of Science and ICT Koo Hyuk-chae, along with members of the diplomatic corps, European community members, foreign residents, nongovernmental organizations and media representatives, who conveyed congratulations to Europe on the occasion.

“It’s an exceptional day and opportunity connecting Korea and Europe,” Woooshik Shin, account manager of Lufthansa Group, told The Korea Herald.

Addressing more than 600 guests in a packed hall, EU Ambassador to Korea Ugo Astuto emphasized the EU’s commitment to peace, human rights, democracy and the rule of law, while highlighting growing EU-South Korea cooperation and the increasing security linkage between Europe and the Indo-Pacific region amid North Korea’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war.

“EU is Korea’s largest investor and one of its top three trading partners in goods,” Astuto said, highlighting expanding bilateral cooperation in defense, climate action, artificial intelligence, research and digital transformation.

“The Korea-EU strategic partnership has grown increasingly important over time,” he added, welcoming progress on the Korea-EU Digital Partnership and the conclusion of negotiations for a digital trade agreement on trusted data flows and digital trade rules.