Senior Partner Ko of KORUS LAW appointed as Honorary Consul of Romania
By Publisher-Chairman Lee Kyung sik with Vice Chairperson Joy Cho,
There has recently been a welcome development at the Seoul Diplomatic Corps, where the Korean Honorary Consuls for the embassies play a key role in bridging the gaps between Korea and some 150 different countries of the world with whom Korea has established diplomatic relations.
Many of the Honorary Counsels perform very important roles and some of them even more greatly.
Ko Minseok is working for KORUS boutique law firm specialized in providing legal services tailored to foreigners residing in Korea, has recently been appointed as the Honorary Consul of Romania.
An Honorary Consul, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, is an individual empowered with authority by the appointing country to serve as a civilian diplomat, bridging bilateral economic, cultural, and tourism exchanges. In fact, Honorary Consuls handle consular duties, including protecting the well-being of expatriates and travelers, as well as issuing visas.
Presently, there are over 100 Honorary Consuls actively serving in South Korea, with more than 90% being business professionals. However, even individuals with legal backgrounds, such as Minseok Ko, as well as professors or doctors, may hold this civil diplomatic position, too.
Noteworthy figures from the business realm, including Hyundai Group Chairman Jeong-eun Hyun (Brazil), Hanwha Group Chairman Seung-yeon Kim (Greece), YuYu Pharmaceutical Chairman Seung-pil Yu (Haiti), Boryung Pharmaceutical Chairperson Eun-sun Kim (Ecuador) and legal professionals like Yeong-hwa Seo, Senior Partner at Pusan Pacific Law Office (Denmark), have previously served or are actively serving as Honorary Consuls.
How did Mr. Ko establish ties with Romania?
As an attorney at law, Minseok Ko has been at the forefront of providing various legal services to foreigners settling in South Korea, such as delivering lectures on ‘Basic Laws for Life in Korea’, publishing a ‘Daily Law Guidebook’, and developing the legal app ‘LifeInKorea’. Given his expertise in handling cases involving foreigners, he naturally forged connections with foreign diplomatic missions (embassies and consulates) in Korea.
Following his appointment as the Honorary Legal Advisor to the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Korea in 2021, Minseok Ko continued his involvement with the Embassy of Romania in Korea. Minseok Ko gave responsive legal advice to the Romanian Embassy, constantly attended events hosted by the Romanian Embassy and provided legal support for Romanian nationals in South Korea.
he Romanian Ambassador, H.E. Mr. Cezar Manole Armeanu, acknowledged Minseok Ko's commitment and legal prowess, leading to his appointment as the Honorary Consul of Romania.
The Romanian Ambassador expressed his expectation that “Minseok Ko, in his role as the Honorary Consul, would not only contribute to diplomatic relations between South Korea and Romania but also play a pivotal role in fostering civil exchanges between the two countries.”
One of the inauguration attendees--Junglim Lee, a Research Professor at Seoul Venture Graduate School, noted, "In the current climate of increased cooperation, not only in Romania's nuclear and defense projects but also in other areas, the appointment of Ko as Honorary Consul is expected to significantly contribute to enhancing economic and legal cooperation between South Korea and Romania."
Ko expressed his gratitude, stating, "I consider it a great honor to be appointed as the Honorary Consul of Romania. I will work diligently to promote Romania, which is still relatively unknown to Koreans. Alongside providing legal support to Romanian nationals residing in Korea, I aim to act as a bridge for Korean companies seeking investment opportunities in Romania. My aspiration is to contribute to cultural and economic exchanges between the two countries."
Ko added, “Notably, Romania and South Korea established diplomatic relations in 1990 and elevated them to a strategic partnership in 2008. As both countries celebrate the 34th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2024, bilateral relations continue to thrive, especially in defense and nuclear cooperation. Last year, the trade volume between the two nations exceeded $1.3 billion, indicating the potential for further growth in economic collaboration."
Attendees of the inauguration ceremony included notable figures such as Romanian Ambassador Cezar Manole Armeanu, Romanian Peasant Museum Director Nitulescu Virgil, Incheon Metropolitan City Mayor Jeongbok Yoo, and Incheon Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Jae-seon Sim.
Ko's first official act as the Honorary Consul will be organizing a Romanian female painter' exhibition from January 31 to February 8 in Songdo, Incheon, and Yangjae, Seoul, aiming to enhance awareness of Romanian culture and art in Korea.
As a legal professional, Minseok Ko previously acted as a litigation case handler for foreigner-related matters in major national institutions such as the Seoul Metropolitan Council, Incheon Immigration Office, and the Busan District Prosecutor's Office. He accumulated expertise in foreign investment and business matters while working in the corporate advisory practice at HMP Law. Currently working as Senior Partner at KORUS LAW, he provides comprehensive one-stop legal services tailored to the needs of foreigners and teaches law as an adjunct professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Law School.
The Honorary Consulate of Romania in Incheon is located at 23rd floor, 313 Central-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, and will serve as a hub for Romanian nationals and those interested in Romania in Incheon.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Romania is the largest country in the Balkan region, covering an area approximately 1.1 times the size of the Korean Peninsula and with a population of over 20 million.
Internationally, Romania is located on the eastern edge of the European Union, having joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 2004 and the European Union (EU) in 2007. This geopolitical symbolism of Romania is likely to increase in the future, as evidenced by the current Russian-Ukrainian war.
Economically, Romania is considered a model country for her successful transition from socialism to a market economy country in the 1990s. Romania has successfully made rapid economic growth since the 2000s, when the market economy began to take hold, and it still has one of the highest economic growth rates among the 27 EU member states.
As a result, Romania is classified as an advanced developing country with a per-capita national income of approximately US$28,000 in purchasing power parity. It is expected to continue its solid growth in the future, centered on the IT and service industries.
The Republic of Korea established diplomatic relations with Romania in March 1990 as part of its Northern Diplomacy, which actively sought diplomatic relations with former communist countries.
Since then, the relationship has been upgraded to "strategic partnership" in September 2008, and the two countries have developed strong ties in all fields including politics and diplomacy, economy and trade, culture and education, science and technology, and international cooperation.
The bilateral trade volume is currently around USD1 billion, but it is expected to increase in the future by expanding economic cooperation in areas such as energy, ICT, health and medical care.