Austria–South Korea relations
Map indicating locations of Austria and South Korea

Austria
South Korea

Foreign relations exist between Austria and South Korea. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on May 22, 1963.

History

The first description of Korea by Austrians was by the Jesuit missionary Martino Martini (Italian but then part of the Holy Roman Empire), who introduced Korea in the Novus Atlas Sinensis in 1655 while doing missionary activities in China. The first Austrian Korean contact that is recorded in history happened in 1886, when the Austro Hungarian ship SMS Nautilus (1873) docked at the Korean harbors of Komundo, Pusan and wonsan.[1] Before 1914, total of 10 Austrian empire ships visited korea. In 1894, Austrian American adventurer Ernst von Hesse-Wartegg traveled around Korea, and published a book about his travels, which was influential among German travel literature for 20 years. The first diplomatic treaty between Korea and Austria happened in 1892, with the Austria–Korea Treaty of 1892.[2] In 1893, SMS Kaiserin Elisabeth, the ship which had guests such as Franz Ferdinand aboard (Franz, however, landed in Japan before the ship's arrival in Korea and never visited), arrived in Incheon (Chemulpo), to give the ratification document of the 1892 treaty by Franz Joseph I of Austria to Gojong of Korea, and Gojong sent back a royal armour as a gift, now exhibited in the Kunsthistorisches Museum.[3][4][5]

Diplomatic missions

Austria has an embassy in Seoul and an honorary consulate in Busan. South Korea has an embassy in Vienna. The Austrian embassy in Seoul is located in the same building as the Australian embassy, often leading to misdelivered mail and confused visitors.[6]

Trade

In 2007, South Korea was Austria's fourth-largest non-European Union trading partner. Two way trade was valued at about US$1.8 billion that year.[6]

Bilateral visits

In April 2007, the President of Austria Heinz Fischer paid a state visit to South Korea. It was the first ever state visit of an Austrian President to the republic.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ SEVEN CZECH TRAVELLERS IN KOREA:how they explored, viewed and described the country before World War II. by y Jaroslav Olša, jr
  2. ↑ "오스트리아와 한국". austrian embassy in korea.
  3. ↑ "Austria-Korea: 120 years". Korea times.
  4. ↑ "Kaiserin ElizabethGroßer Kreuzer (Torpedo-Rammkreuzer)".
  5. ↑ "129년 전 고종의 선물…오스트리아 빈의 조선 왕실 갑옷과 투구".
  6. 1 2 Yoon, Won-sup; Kim, Se-jeong (2007-01-07), "There Are No Kangaroos in Austria", Korea Times, archived from the original on 2014-02-21, retrieved 2012-06-15
  7. ↑ "Bundespräsident Heinz Fischer zu Staatsbesuch in Südkorea eingetroffen" (in German). Federal President of the Republic of Austria. Archived from the original on 7 November 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2008.


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