Last October in Warsaw, the envoy pointed out, Korean pianist Cho Seong-jin won the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition held every five years; and last summer, the largest national art exhibition outside of Poland -- “Polish Art: an Enduring Spirit” -- was held at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, with Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage Malgorzata Omilanowska participating.

The ambassador cited Polish romantic poet Cyprian Kamil Norwid, who wrote, “For that land where a scrap of bread is picked up from the ground out of reverence, for heaven’s gifts, I am homesick, Lord.”

“These words resonate strongly in South Korea, not only because I am far away from my home country, but every grain of rice is picked up and doesn’t go waste here. Perhaps, that is why Poles and Koreans understand each other so well and feel so close,” added the ambassador.

Regarding Poland’s security, Majka stressed that Poles “strongly believe cooperation is the best solution.” The country will host the NATO Summit in July.

“The venue will demonstrate our commitment to creating stronger alliances, particularly on our eastern side, to deter and counter any threats to Europe’s safety and security,” he said.

The Central European country will also host World Youth Day -- an international Catholic event focusing on faith and youth -- in Krakow in late July, with more than 2 million people expected to attend, including Pope Francis.

Furthermore, Poland will take over the Visegrad Group presidency -- an alliance of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia for furthering European integration and advancing regional military, economic and energy cooperation -- from the Czech Republic.

“Poland is one of the easiest countries to do business in, having climbed up in the global ranking from 45th in 2014 to 25th this year,” the diplomat said. “According to the European Commission, our economy will grow the fifth fastest in the European Union this year at 3.5 percent. Our gross domestic product doubled in the last 15 years.”

Since late 1989 when Poland and Korea established diplomatic relations, bilateral trade has increased more than sixtyfold to $4.6 billion. The two countries reached a Strategic Partnership in 2013.

Poland is also a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission – a mechanism established in 1953 for regulating relations between North Korea and South Korea -- along with the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Sweden. 

“Poland has given the world great treasures including Chopin’s music and Marie Curie’s scientific genius,” said Kim Hyong-zhin, Korea’s deputy foreign minister for political affairs, in a speech. “The Polish economy has overcome numerous obstacles to achieve a remarkable growth, being one of the largest in the European Union.”

Referring to the Polish national anthem “Mazurek Dabrowskiego,” which means “Poland is not yet lost,” Kim highlighted that Korea also cherishes patriotism and courage, having overcome hurdles to its identity throughout history.

Soon after the new government assumed office in Poland, the Polish and Korean heads of state met in Prague last November and agreed to continue making strides in a future-oriented partnership, he added.

“Our two countries were able to reach a common understanding for expanding cooperation in defense, infrastructure, innovation and culture,” according to Kim. “Poland’s strength in basic sciences, combined with Korea’s advantages in applied sciences, holds great potential for further deepening our cooperation.”

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)