A direct flight between Seoul and Budapest may play a key role in bolstering economic and tourism ties, Minister for National Economy Mihály Varga said after he had held talks with the president of Air Korea.

The Minister is the head of a delegation of experts and business people visiting South Korea, and he also acts as Co-Chairman at the second session of a joint economic committee.

Launching a new, scheduled direct flight between Budapest and Seoul would bring mutual advantages, Mihály Varga said of the talks he had held with Korean Air President Chang-Hoon Chi.  The two countries concluded a new aviation agreement in last May, which facilitates the EU-conform operation of passenger and cargo transport by air.

At tomorrow’s session of the Hungarian-Korean Joint Economic Committee, tourism will be on the top of the agenda, he added. Current data confirm the adequacy of efforts and show further potential in tourism cooperation between the two countries.

According to KSH data, the number of South-Korean tourists has soared in recent years: last year some 120 thousand people visited Hungary. In terms of arrivals, South-Korea has become our number one sender country in Asia, the Minister emphasised.

In his assessment of the talks in Seoul, Mihály Varga said that Korean Air was weighing the option of opening a new route to Hungary. Some 80 thousand tons of air cargo is transported each year between Hungary and South Korea. As the Government of Hungary has prioritized the promotion of investments in key sectors, it would offer favourable conditions for the establishment of a European service centre in Hungary.

(Ministry for National Economy)