Visiting the Havel Bench during his visit to Korea, it was installed in Yangjaecheon, Seocho-gu in May and serves as a symbol of friendship between South Korea and the Czech Republic
사진 확대 Jeon Sung-soo, head of Seocho-gu, Seoul (left), and Lukasz Blcek, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic.
Seocho-gu, Seoul, said on the 21st that “a Czech delegation, including Czech Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lukasz Blcek, made an official visit to Seocho-gu on the 18th.” The Czech delegation’s visit to Seocho-gu, consisting of about 30 people, is one of the Czech government’s three-day visit to Korea. Seocho-gu said, “The visiting group visited Seocho-gu and shared opinions on practical exchange and cooperation measures and mutual concerns between the two countries.”
They visited Seocho-gu because of the Vaclav Havel Bench (hereinafter referred to as Havel Bench) installed in Yangjae Stream in May. The Havel bench is a place to honor Vaclav Havel, the first president of the Czech Republic, who led Czech democracy during the 1989 Czech Revolution, and to represent the values of openness and democracy.
Havel benches have been installed in 18 countries, including the Czech Republic, the United States, Japan, and France. Korea was first built in Yangjae Stream in May.
Last year, Team Korea, led by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., was selected as the preferred bidder for nuclear power plant orders with the Czech Republic, prompting calls for Korea to set up a habel bench. Since then, several attractions in Seoul have been reviewed as candidate sites during the installation process, and the Yangjae Stream area has a large floating population and a well-equipped nature-friendly environment, so it was selected as the final site. “The Havel Bench consists of Bokja trees donated by Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, and circular tables and chairs transported from the Czech Republic,” Seocho-gu explained. “Hyundai Motor has supported transportation and installation, adding to the meaning of public-private cooperation.”
In June, Seocho-gu Mayor Jeon Sung-soo visited Prague’s 6th district in the Czech Republic and held a meeting with Jakub Starek to discuss cooperation in various fields. As friendly cooperation between South Korea and the Czech Republic has gained momentum, Seocho-gu also plans to focus its efforts on building a future-oriented partnership between the two countries.
The Havel Bench, built in the beautiful Yangjae Stream, is a special space to reflect on communication, harmony, and democratic values together, Jeon said. “We look forward to more active cooperation and exchanges between the two countries through the Friendly City Agreement with the 6th District of Prague, Czech Republic.”