Belgian royals pay South Korea state visit
King Filip and Queen Mathilde have embarked upon a 4-day state visit to South Korea. A major delegation of Belgian businessmen and academics have travelled along too.
King Filip and Queen Mathilde are visiting Seoul where the king meets President Moon Jae-in, while Queen Mathilde will enjoy the company of his wife, the classical singer Kim Jung-sook. The Belgian royals are honouring the Belgian soldiers who perished in the Korean War too. 3,200 Belgian and Luxembourg volunteers joined the fight. Seminars on smart cities and the circular economy are also planned.
The royals are also visiting the national university for the arts after three South Koreans won the prestigious Belgian music contest, the Queen Elisabeth Competition. A taekwondo show too is on the programme.
Representatives of over a hundred Belgian businesses have travelled along. Belgian beer, chocolate and pork are well represented. South Korea is the world’s 35th biggest importer of Belgian goods and services. In 2017 Belgium exported 1.56 billion euros to South Korea.
Belgium imported 2.72 billion euros worth of goods from South Korea making the country the 23rd most important on the list of exporters to Belgium.
South Korea is Asia's fourth largest economy and among the world's 15th largest.