April 20, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Princess Astrid of Belgium along with 250 delegation members, who is visiting Korea next month will meet top business executives including Samsung C&T CEO, the Belgium Embassy said on May 31.

More than 15 deals and memorandum of understanding agreements in various sectors including education, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, information and communications technology and biotechnology, are expected to be signed during her visit from June 10 to 17. 

Princess Astrid of Belgium

Astrid, the younger sister of Belgium’s King Philippe, high-level government officials, representatives from a total of 109 Belgian companies with 13 allied organizations, lobby groups and university representatives will attend events in Seoul, Busan and Incheon.

Astrid is scheduled to have a breakfast with the CEO of Samsung C&T on June 12, and visit Hyundai Motor Studio Goyang on the same day.

“Strong examples of innovative spirit and university-industry linkage will be showcased at Solvay–Ewha Womans University and Ghent University seminars. The seminars, focusing on life sciences and ICT industries, will highlight the quality and strength of Belgian SMEs and explore opportunities with Korean partners,” the embassy said in a press release.

Bilateral trade between the two nations is strong.

“Belgium and Kore are both strongly export-oriented. Bilateral trade has benefited both countries, as Belgium is strong in chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries as is Korea in automotive and electronics,” the embassy said.

Total exports of goods from the Belgium to Korea amounted to 1.46 billion euros (US$1.64 billion) in 2015, making Belgium the seventh major exporter of goods to Korea within the EU. Korea exported 1.9 billion euro to Belgium.

Chemical products represented 31.9 percent of total Belgian exports of goods to Korea, followed by machinery and equipment and plastics.

By Park Han-na (hnpark@heraldcorp.com)