Polityczne, gospodarcze i kulturowe stosunki Unii Europejskiej i Republiki Korei
The Political, Economic and Cultural Relations between the European Union and the Republic of Korea

Summary/Abstract: The issues of the multi-perspective relations between the European Union (EU) and the Republic of Korea (RoK) may be considered on several basic levels: political, economic and scientific-cultural cooperation. The article concerns various forms of cooperation between the EU and the RoK. After the Free Trade Agreement was signed in 2010, their economic relations have increased in importance. However, other areas of their mutual cooperation may also become important in the near future due to the growing military power of China, the possible changes in political alliances and security issues in the Korean Peninsula. Although the mutual relations between the EU and the RoK have a long history, they were of minor importance before 2010. Both parties did not perceive each other as potential partners due to the geographical and cultural distance. The EU was not interested in the Asia-Pacific region until it released its very first strategy paper on Asia in 1994 entitled Towards a New Asia Strategy. Despite cultural differences and often different interests and threats, the EU-RoK relations are developing very quickly and go beyond the mere trade exchange.

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