Mexico–South Korea relations
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The nations of Mexico and the Republic of Korea (''South Korea'') established diplomatic relations in 1962.History of diplomatic relations between Mexico and South Korea (in Spanish)
/ref> Both nations are members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Forum of East Asia–Latin America Cooperation,
G-20 major economies The G20 or Group of Twenty is an Intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union (EU). It works to address major issues related to the World economy, global economy, such as international f ...
,
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries ...
and the United Nations.


History

The first contact between the peninsula of Korea and Mexico took place when Spanish born and Mexican born Jesuits from
New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...
(modern-day Mexico) arrived to Korea to preach Christianity.México y Corea del Sur a 55 Años del Establecimiento de Relaciones Diplomáticas (in Spanish)
/ref> Since initial contacts, there would be almost no further direct contact between the two nations and any contact at all would have been done with Korean trading ships coming to Manila (capital of the Spanish crown in the Philippines) and their goods and merchandise traveling by Spanish galleons to present day Mexico. In 1905, a Korean ship called the ''Ilford'' arrived in southern Mexico carrying approximately 1,033 Korean migrants. These migrants eventually settled in the Mexican state of Yucatán. During the Korean War, unlike several Latin-American nations, Mexico decided to remain neutral and not send troops to the Korean peninsula, however, approximately 100,000 Mexicans (and of Mexican descent) did fight in Korea under the command the United States Armed Forces as well as under the United Nations flag.Establishment of the Association of Mexican Veterans of the Korean War (1950-1953)
/ref> On 26 January 1962, Mexico and South Korea formally established diplomatic relations. That same year, South Korea opened an embassy in Mexico City. Initially, Mexico conducted relations with South Korea from its embassy in Tokyo,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. In March 1968, South Korea dedicated a Friendship Pavilion to Mexico and placed it in Chapultepec Park. In 1978, Mexico opened an embassy in Seoul. In 1991, South Korean President Roh Tae-woo became the first South Korean head of state to visit Mexico and
Latin-America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
. In 1996, Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo reciprocated the visit to South Korea. Since then, there have been several high level visits between the two nations. In 2017, both nations celebrated 112 years since the first Korean migration to Mexico. In 2021, the Mexican Government created the Establishment of the Association of Mexican Veterans of the Korean War. In 2022, both nations celebrated 60 years of diplomatic relations. In July of that same year, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard paid a visit to South Korea to continue the conversations for a free trade agreement between both nations that were initiated in 2012.


High-level visits

Presidential visits from Mexico to South Korea * President Ernesto Zedillo (1996) * President Vicente Fox (2001, 2005) * President Felipe Calderón (2010) Presidential visits from South Korea to Mexico * President Roh Tae-woo (1991) * President Kim Young-sam (1997) * President Kim Dae-jung (2002) * President Roh Moo-hyun (2005) * President
Lee Myung-bak Lee Myung-bak (; ; ; born 19 December 1941) is a South Korean businessman and politician who served as the 10th president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. Before his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction, and the ma ...
(2010, 2012) * President Park Geun-hye (2016)


Gallery

File:Vladimir Putin at APEC Summit in South Korea 18-19 November 2005-8.jpg, President Roh Moo-hyun and President Vicente Fox in Busan; November 2005. File:KOCIS Korea-Mexico summit (4762596485).jpg, President Felipe Calderón with President Lee Myung-bak in Mexico City; July 2010. File:2010 G-20 Seoul summit.jpg, President Lee Myung-bak and President Felipe Calderón in Seoul; November 2010.


Bilateral agreements

Both nations have signed several bilateral agreements such as an Agreement on Cultural Cooperation (1966); Agreement on Trade (1966); Agreement on Air Transportation (1988); Agreement on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation (1989); Agreement to Avoid Double Taxation and Prevent Fiscal Evasion with respect to Income Taxes (1994); Extradition Treaty (1996); Agreement on Tourism Cooperation (1996); Agreement on the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments (2000); Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters (2005); Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters (2005) and an Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy (2012).


Tourism and Transportation

In 2018, 130,000 South Korean citizens visited Mexico for tourism.Korea A New Story: Background of the relationship between Korea and Mexico
/ref> In 2017, over 8,000 Mexican citizens visited South Korea for tourism. There are direct flights between both nations with Aeroméxico.


Trade

In 2012, Mexico and South Korea began negotiations on a free trade agreement. In 2023, trade between the two nations amounted to US$23.2 billion.Data México: South Korea
/ref> Mexico's main exports to South Korea include: piston and rotary engines, parts and accessories of motor vehicles, aluminum, rubber and tires, chemical based products, fruits and vegetables, meat, and alcohol. South Korea's main exports to Mexico include: machinery, electronic equipment, cars, parts and accessories for motor vehicles, video games and consoles, iron and steel, chemical based products, and food based products. South Korea is Mexico's sixth biggest trading partner globally and South Korean foreign direct investment in Mexico between 1999 - 2023 amounted to over US$10.5 billion. There are 2,032 South Korean companies investing in Mexico. Several South Korean multinational companies operating in Mexico include: LG,
Hyundai Hyundai is a South Korean industrial conglomerate ("chaebol"), which was restructured into the following groups: * Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested ** Hyundai Mobis, Korean car parts company ** Hyundai ...
, KEPCO, Kia Motors,
KOGAS Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) is a South Korean public natural gas company that was established by the Korean government in 1983. KOGAS has grown into the largest LNG-importing company in the world and operates four LNG regasification terminals ...
,
Posco POSCO (formerly Pohang Iron and Steel Company) is a South Korean steel-making company headquartered in Pohang, South Korea. It had an output of of crude steel in 2015, making it the world's fourth-largest steelmaker by this measure. In 2010, i ...
and Samsung (among others). Mexican multinational companies such as Grupo Bimbo, Grupo Promax, Katcon, KidZania and
Vitro Vitro is the largest glass producer in Mexico and one of the world's largest organizations in the glass industry. Founded in 1909 in Monterrey, Mexico, this corporation has 30 subsidiaries in Mexico, United States, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Cost ...
(among others) operate in South Korea.


Resident diplomatic missions

* Mexico has an embassy in Seoul. * South Korea has an embassy in Mexico City.Embassy of South Korea in Mexico City
/ref> File:Sedaily headquaters 20181126 082012.jpg, Building hosting the Embassy of Mexico in Seoul File:Embajada de Corea del Sur en la Ciudad de México.jpg, Embassy of South Korea in Mexico City


See also

* Koreans in Mexico *
Korean Cultural Center, Mexico City The Korean Cultural Center, Mexico City (Spanish: Centro Cultural Coreano, Ciudad de México, hangul: 한국문화원,멕시코 시티), is a non-profit Korean language and cultural exchange center in Polanco, Mexico City. It is supported by the ...
* Mexicans and Mexican Americans in the Korean War *
Pequeño Seúl Pequeño Seúl () is a Koreatown in Mexico City. Most of the city's Koreans in Mexico, Korean population lives in and around the Zona Rosa (Mexico City), Zona Rosa. According to the newspaper ''Reforma'', there are at least 5,000 Koreans living ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mexico-South Korea relations South Korea Bilateral relations of South Korea