Budapest memorial for ship tragedy to be unveiled in autumn

A memorial dedicated to the victims of the 2019 ship collision claiming many South Korean lives in Budapest is being designed and planned to be inaugurated in autumn, Peter Szijjártó, Hungary’s foreign minister, said on Facebook on Monday, after talks with his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha over the phone.

The South Korean foreign minister thanked Hungary for the solidarity it showed after the tragedy that claimed the lives of 26 South Korean tourists and two Hungarian crew members when a sightseeing boat and a cruise ship collided near Margaret Bridge on May 29.

She also thanked Hungary for the commemoration that marked the first anniversary of the tragedy, Szijjártó said.

The two ministers also discussed the coronavirus pandemic and recognised each other’s efforts in containing the virus.

“Foreign Minister Kyung-wha thanked Hungary for allowing employees of Korean companies to enter the country, and I thanked the Korean companies for their investments in Hungary,” Szijjártó said.

He noted that the largest volume of foreign investments in Hungary was made by South Korean companies last year which lifted bilateral trade by 21 percent in the first quarter of this year to close to one billion dollars.

Szijjártó further noted close bilateral cooperation in international affairs.

Hungary supports South Korea’s membership in the United Nations Security Council and urges talks to be launched between the EU and South Korea on an investment protection agreement.

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Source: MTI