Varadkar to visit South Korea amid push for deeper trade ties

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will visit South Korea this week to hold talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol as part of a wider trade mission involving several Ministers.

The meeting with President Yoon will take place between November 2nd and November 3rd, with a delegation of Ministers also visiting Korea throughout the week.

The Taoiseach will join Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and Minister for Further Education Simon Harris for the trip.

They will hold a series of meetings in order to open up new trade, investment and education links with the world’s 12th largest economy and the fourth largest economy in Asia.

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This year marks the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Ireland. Ireland is currently looking to strengthen trade links with Seoul as part of an updated Asia-Pacific strategy.

The strategy, launched by Tánaiste Micheál Martin last week, states that Ireland wants to “deepen our strong relationship with the Republic of Korea, by increasing trade levels and building on cultural connections.”

Agriculturally, the plan says that Ireland wants to secure beef access in the Republic of Korea and Vietnam. The Government also wants to build on the provision of Asia Pacific languages taught in Irish schools such as Japanese, Korean and Mandarin Chinese.

In terms of the diaspora, the plan also says the Government wants to scale up promotion of working holiday agreements with South Korea. The visit will come at a time of increased geopolitical tension amidst the Israel Hamas conflict.

The conflict has prompted South Korea to consider pausing a military agreement with North Korea.

South Korea’s defence minister said last week that he would push to suspend a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement that proposed resuming frontline surveillance on North Korea.

The agreement, reached during a brief period of diplomacy between South Korea’s former president Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, created buffer zones along land and sea boundaries and no-fly zones above the border to prevent clashes.