Netanyahu with South Korea's Trade Minister
Netanyahu with South Korea's Trade MinisterKobi Gideon/GPO

South Korea’s Trade Minister, Yoo Myung-hee, visited Israel and participated in a ceremony in which the conclusion of the negotiations to establish a free trade agreement between the countries was announced.

"Israel is not a small country but a powerful startup nation and an inspiration for innovation around the world," Myung-hee said in an interview with the Israel Hayom newspaper.

"There are a lot of similarities between South Korea and Israel," the minister added. "We are the winning couple of innovation in the world."

She said that young people in Korea "know your Talmud, and through it you are portrayed as a nation blessed with original, creative and entrepreneurial thinking. Thanks to the new agreement, I foresee highly productive collaborations in the fields of artificial intelligence, big data, biotechnology and more.”

"We Koreans are known for our high production capabilities, and you Israelis are known for your innovative inventions. There is huge potential for collaboration here,” continued Myung-hee.

The volume of trade between Israel and South Korea in the past year amounted to about $2.5 billion, an increase of more than 15% compared to 2017.

"Our goal is to double the volume of trade and set it to $5 billion within five years," said the South Korean minister.