Greek–South Korean relations are the

foreign relations A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through m ...

between

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

has an embassy in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

and an honorary consulate in

Daejeon Daejeon () is South Korea's fifth-largest metropolis, with a population of 1.5 million as of 2019. Located in the central-west region of South Korea alongside forested hills and the Geum River, the city is known both for its technology an ...

has an embassy in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

History

The Greek newspaper "

Vradyni I Vradyni, or simply Vradyni ( el, Η Βραδυνή), is an Athens-based nationally published weekly Greek newspaper. It has a liberal approach to the economy and is a traditional right-wing political orientation. The newspaper is published by ...

" (Βραδυνή) decided to give a 6th century B.C. corinthian helmet which was discovered in

Ancient Olympia Olympia ( el, label=Modern Greek, Ολυμπία ; grc, Ὀλυμπία ), officially Archaia Olympia ( el, label=Modern Greek, Αρχαία Ολυμπία; grc, Ἀρχαία Ὀλυμπία, links=no; "Ancient Olympia"), is a small town in E ...

to the winner of the

Marathon race The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair di ...

of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. The winner was the Korean runner

Sohn Kee-chung Sohn Kee-chung ( ko, 손기정, ; ; August 29, 1912 – November 15, 2002) was an Olympic athlete and long-distance runner. He became the first ethnic Korean to win a medal at the Olympic Games, winning gold in the marathon at the 1936 Berlin O ...

. The helmet is now displayed at the

National Museum of Korea The National Museum of Korea is the flagship museum of Korean history and art in South Korea and is the cultural organization that represents Korea. Since its establishment in 1945, the museum has been committed to various studies and research ...

and is the only Western artifact that has been recognised as a Treasure (#904) by the Korean government.Bronze Helmet Donated by Son Kee chung
/ref> As soon as 1950, Greece sent an expeditionary force to help the South Koreans against the communists during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. And at that time, the small Orthodox community of Korea received support by Greek military chaplain ministers. Then, Korean Orthodox faithful requested to come under the spiritual care of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1955 and the Ecumenical Patriarchate took the

Korean Orthodox Church The Korean Orthodox Church ( ko, 한국 정교회) or Metropolis of Korea is an Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox diocese under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in Korea (''de facto'' in South Korea).

under its protection in 1956. Both countries established diplomatic relations on April 15, 1961. South Korea opened its embassy in

on July 6, 1973. Greece opened its embassy in

in October 1991. Greece also has an honorary consulate in

List of bilateral visits

From South Korea to Greece * May 1995, Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and International Organizations Ban Ki-moon * May 2000, Speaker of the National Assembly Park Joon-kyu * October 2001, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Yoo Sam-nam * August 2002, Minister for Trade Hwang Doo-yun * April 2004, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ban Ki-moon * August 2004, Minister of Culture and Tourism Jung Dong-chae * April 2006, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ban Ki-moon * September 2006,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Roh Moo-hyun Roh Moo-hyun (; ; 1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the ninth president of South Korea between 2003 and 2008. Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for ...

* June 2007, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Kang Moo-hyun * October 2007, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Kang Moo-hyun From Greece to South Korea * July 1987, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Karolos Papoulias Karolos Papoulias ( el, Κάρολος Παπούλιας ; 4 June 1929 – 26 December 2021) was a Greek politician who served as the president of Greece from 2005 to 2015. A member of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), he previously ...

* November 1990, Prime of Ministers

Konstantinos Mitsotakis Konstantinos Mitsotakis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Μητσοτάκης, ; – 29 May 2017) was a Greek politician who was 7th Prime Minister of Greece from 1990 to 1993. He graduated in law and economics from the University of Athens. Hi ...

* March 1998, Minister of the Mercantile Marine Stavros Soumakis * October 2000, Alternate Foreign Minister Elisavet Papazoi * February 2003, Alternate Foreign Minister Tasso Giannitsis * November 2004, Minister of Agricultural Development Evangelos Bassiakos * January 2005, Minister of Mercantile Marine Manolis Kefalogiannis * June 2007, Minister of Transportation and Communications

Michalis Liapis Michalis Liapis ( el, Μιχάλης Λιάπης; born 8 May 1951) is a former Greek New Democracy politician and minister. Liapis was born in Athens to Konstantinos Liapis, a lawyer, and Antigoni Karamanli (1921–2010). His mother was a young ...

List of bilateral treaties

* Education agreement (July 23, 1970) * Trade agreement (October 4, 1974) * Agreement on abolition of visa requirements (February 25, 1979) * Agreement on scientific and technological cooperation (May 16, 1994) * Aviation agreement (January 25, 1995) * Agreement on investment protection (January 25, 1995) * Agreement on avoidance of double taxation (March 20, 1995)

References

External links

Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the relation with South Korea

South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade about the relation with Greece

Site of the South Korean embassy in Athens
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greece-South Korea relations

Korea, South South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

History

List of bilateral visits

List of bilateral treaties

See also

References

External links