Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 March 2026
114. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will provide an overview of diplomatic links that Ireland has with the Republic of Korea; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22547/26]
View answerFollowing the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ireland and the Republic of Korea in 1983, Ireland opened its Embassy in Seoul in 1989. The Republic of Korea opened its Embassy in Dublin in 1987. These are the key diplomatic links between the two countries.
Officials in my Department engage frequently with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Ireland on a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues. Likewise, Ireland's Ambassador and Embassy team in Seoul, including an officer seconded from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, interact regularly with Korean officials and Ministers, on the full range of Ireland's interests. Ireland's Embassy in Korea works closely with our State Agencies, with IDA and Enterprise Ireland colleagues being co-located with the Embassy in Ireland House Seoul.
Our countries' vibrant relationship is based on regular political engagement, both multilateral and bilateral, engagement around our shared values, strong people-to-people links, cultural exchange, and our strong trade and investment ties. Trade in goods between Ireland and the Republic of Korea was valued at €2.7 billion in 2024, with trade in services in 2024 amounting to €4.9 billion.
In recent years, our relations with the Republic of Korea have been further enhanced within the framework of my Department’s Asia Pacific Strategy. In 2023, the then-Taoiseach led a whole-of-Government trade mission to the Republic of Korea, including a number of cabinet Ministers. Three Irish Ministers visited the Republic of Korea in 2025. Most recently, the visit of my colleague, Minister of State Seán Canney, to the Republic of Korea to mark St. Patrick’s Day this year, served to further strengthen Ireland's long standing relationship with the Republic of Korea.
My Department remains committed to further deepening and strengthening the already strong bilateral ties between Ireland and the Republic of Korea.
