Milan Stech, president of the Czech Republic’s Senate, said during a visit to Korea last week that the Central European nation will participate in the PyeongChang Winter Games in Korea next February with a National Olympic House in Gangneung, Gangwon Province.

Stech -- the country’s second-highest constitutional representative -- came to Korea on Sunday with a business delegation. His visit follows earlier visitations this year by a delegation of the Chamber of Duties’ committee on economic affairs in May and the Chamber Speaker Jan Hamacek in June.

“We will celebrate the centenary of Czechoslovakia in 2018, and firmly believe that the anniversary will serve as a great opportunity to introduce our culture and country to our friends around the world,” he said at a reception in Seoul on Monday.

The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1990 before Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 2013. They upgraded their relations to a strategic partnership in 2015.

The Czech Republic is a strong player in ice hockey, having won the gold medal at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics in Japan, as well as 12 gold medals at World Championships, including six as Czechoslovakia and for three straight years from 1999 to 2001.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)