Top diplomats of S. Korea, Hungary discuss bilateral ties amid pandemic

SEOUL, July 27 (Yonhap) -- The top diplomats of South Korea and Hungary on Monday discussed joint efforts to boost economic and other bilateral ties amid the coronavirus pandemic, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

In the meeting with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha welcomed Hungary's recent decision to remove the entry ban for South Korean arrivals from mid-July.

Noting Budapest's decision to allow entries by South Korean businesspeople without limitations from April, Kang called for continued bilateral efforts to strengthen cooperation and boost exchanges in the post-pandemic era.

Szijjarto, in response, expressed hope that South Korea will increase investment in his country, saying Seoul became Hungary's largest foreign investor last year.

The Hungarian minister also explained to Kang his government's plan to hold an unveiling ceremony of a monument set up in Budapest in memory of South Korean tourists who died and went missing in last year's boat sinking in the Danube River.

It was Szijjarto's second visit to Seoul in less than a year following his last trip in December. He was also scheduled to meet with top South Korean businessmen during this visit, diplomatic sources said.

elly@yna.co.kr
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