S. Korea, Poland agree to step up economic cooperation

SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Poland agreed in foreign ministerial talks Monday to promote economic cooperation based on ever-increasing bilateral trade, South Korean officials said.

South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski made the agreement during their talks in Seoul, as trade between the two countries has grown to US$3.8 billion last year since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1989.

During Monday's talks, Yu sought Polish backing for participation by South Korean firms in construction projects related to the Eastern European country's co-hosting of the 2012 Euro Cup football finals with Ukraine, and army modernization projects, the officials said.

Sikorski gave a positive response to Yu's request. The Polish foreign minister
said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency earlier in the day that Poland, a
member of the European Union, has rolled out the red carpet for South Korean
companies.
The two ministers also shared the opinion that the planned establishment next
year of a Korean culture center in Warsaw -- to mark the 20th anniversary of the
establishment of the two countries' diplomatic relations -- will contribute to
the promotion of cultural cooperation between the two countries.
Sikorski, who arrived in Seoul on Sunday on a three-day trip, is expected to hold
meetings with South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo and Rep. Park Jin,
chairman of the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee of the National
Assembly.
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