Assembly Speaker Cho says Europe's transformation opens 'new door of opportunity' for Korea

"Europe's transformation will open a new door of opportunity for us."

National Assembly Speaker Cho Jong-sik attended the 11th National Assembly Forum on Diplomacy and Security on Tuesday at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, where he stressed the Assembly's role and responsibility in strengthening cooperation between South Korea and Europe. The forum was themed "Europe's Future and Korea-Europe Cooperation in a Transitional International Order."

Cho said South Korea and the EU have maintained friendly and cooperative relations for more than 60 years since establishing diplomatic ties in 1963. He added that South Korea was the first Asian country to sign a free trade agreement with the EU and the first to conclude all three major agreements covering the economic, political and security fields.

"Europe, too, is entering a period of great transformation amid the rapidly shifting international order," Cho said, citing the new security landscape brought on by the Russia-Ukraine war, the green transition, and the need to prepare for AI and advanced industries.

He added that South Korea — a country that has experienced both market economics and democratic values — is precisely the partner Europe wants to strengthen ties and communication with.

Cho said the Assembly had established its first-ever diplomatic and security chief of staff office to bolster its parliamentary diplomacy capabilities. "The National Assembly will work to build cooperative frameworks that allow South Korea to respond actively to the rapidly changing international order," he said.