National Assembly Speaker Cho Jungsik Visits Croatia: "Strengthen Cooperation in Defense, Energy and Infrastructure"

Speaker Cho Meets with Croatian President, Parliament Speaker, and Others
Looks to Strengthen Cooperation in Defense Industry and Security

National Assembly Speaker Cho Jungsik, who is visiting Croatia, met with the Croatian parliamentary speaker and prime minister in succession on October 9 (local time) and said, "I hope cooperation between the two countries will expand in various fields, including defense, security, energy, and infrastructure."

That day, in Zagreb, Croatia, Speaker Cho met with Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic, President Zoran Milanovic, and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic to discuss ways to expand practical cooperation between the two countries and strengthen exchanges between their parliaments.

This official visit to Croatia, the first by a speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea in two years, was arranged to advance bilateral relations, which were elevated in 2023 to a "comprehensive and future-oriented partnership," and to flesh out cooperation in various fields, including defense, energy, and infrastructure. The delegation included Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers Han Jeong-ae and Hwang Hee, as well as People Power Party lawmakers Choi Hyung-du and Kang Min-kook.

National Assembly Speaker Cho Jung-sik holds a joint press conference with Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic on the 9th (local time). Photo provided by the National Assembly.

Speaker Cho first met with Parliament Speaker Jandrokovic and said, "The two countries are cooperating in various fields. In particular, with Croatia's recent adoption of the domestically developed Chunmoo multiple-launch rocket system and the signing of a defense MOU between our countries, I hope cooperation in defense and security will expand going forward."

In response, Speaker Jandrokovic said, "Croatia attaches great importance to strengthening its relationship with Korea," adding, "Cooperation with Korea in defense and security is important because safeguarding peace and preventing war are more important today than ever." The two parliaments also said they had agreed to actively support cooperation in three key areas: the economy and infrastructure, defense and the defense industry, and culture and people-to-people exchanges.

Speaker Cho then met with Croatian President Milanovic and said, "I am pleased that the two countries have steadily developed friendly and cooperative relations since establishing diplomatic ties in 1992, and that high-level exchanges have been active, particularly since 2023."

Speaker Cho also noted that nearly 400,000 Koreans visit Croatia each year and said, "I hope the working holiday agreement between our countries, which is currently in the process of being finalized, will be concluded soon, further facilitating the free movement of young people and exchanges between future generations."

After meeting with the president, Speaker Cho attended an official luncheon hosted by Parliament Speaker Jandrokovic. At the luncheon, Speaker Jandrokovic expressed Croatia's wish to partner with Korea on its air force and navy modernization projects, following the Chunmoo deal. Speaker Cho responded, "Korea has outstanding missile defense systems and related assets, and I look forward to cooperation between our countries."

Speaker Cho then held a meeting with members of the Korean community and representatives of Korean companies operating in Croatia, commending them for their hard work and expressing his gratitude. "I would like to express my sincere respect to all of you, who have worked for the economic development of Korea and Croatia with pride in being Korean," he said. "The National Assembly will do its utmost to support the Korean community so that you do not face difficulties here."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.