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On October 5, Dongseo University President Jekuk Chang was appointed as an Honorary Consul of Hungary. President Chang received the certificate of appointment from a Hungarian government representative at the oath-taking ceremony.

President Chang, who is also a policy advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is active internationally and interacts regularly with leaders of several universities in European countries including Hungary, Germany, and Lithuania. The Hungarian government has recognized President Chang’s efforts in appointing him Honorary Consul.

In attendance at the oath-taking ceremony were Chancellor Dong Soon Park of the Dongseo Educational Foundation, Gabor Csaba (Hungarian Ambassador to Korea), Sung-Jae Cho (Chairman of the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry), Eui-ku Kang (Honorary Consul of Portugal in Busan), Hong Seong-hwa (Ambassador for International Relations of Busan), VostrikovAlexander Sergeevich(Consul-General of the Russian Federation in Busan), among many others.

President Chang addressed those in attendance at the oath-taking ceremony, stating, “Hungary was the first Eastern European country to establish diplomatic relations with Korea in 1989, and Hungary has maintained a close relationship with Korea in many aspects. I especially feel that the city of Busan was an excellent choice for the appointment of an Honorary Consul. I will fulfill the mission as an evangelist actively promoting Hungary in Busan.”

In addition, President Chang stated, “Dongseo University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hungary’s Szent Istvan University to send students there every semester. Also, Hungarian students are taking Korean language courses at Dongseo University through the Korean Government Scholarship Program. Through diverse global programs such as these, I will work to create more opportunities for Korean and Hungarian students to better understand each other by experiencing each other’s cultures.”

Furthermore, he explained that “Korea and Hungary have strong economic and cultural exchanges as well. Trade between the two countries has reached 20 billion dollars since 2014, following the Korea-EU FTA in 2011. In addition, forty different Korean companies have built and are running factories in Hungary, as Hungary has become an outpost for Korean companies to enter the European market. The Korean drama “Dae Jang Geum” (“Jewel in the Palace)” was shown in Hungary, which was the first time it was shown in Europe. Also, a Korean Film Festival is held in Hungary every year, and the Korean drama “Iris” has been filmed there as well.”