Prime Minister Kim Meets Polish Prime Minister: "Both Targeted During Martial Law... Sharing a Democratic Identity"

On April 13, Prime Minister Kim Minseok met with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who is visiting Korea, and said, "President Lee Jaemyung and I were both on the list of targets for removal by the coup forces during the period of martial law," adding, "The government of the Republic of Korea believes that the current Polish government shares the same identity of democracy."

Prime Minister Kim Minseok is shaking hands with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk before their meeting at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul on April 13, 2026. Photo by uwg806@yna.co.kr Yonhap News Agency

In a meeting held that afternoon at the Government Complex Seoul with Prime Minister Tusk and the visiting Polish delegation, Prime Minister Kim said, "Poland and Korea have many special commonalities, both economically and in terms of democracy." This marks the first bilateral visit by a Polish prime minister in 27 years, and Korea is the first non-European country visited by Prime Minister Tusk since taking office. Mentioning this, Prime Minister Kim expressed his welcome by saying, "Now that Korea and Poland have become comprehensive strategic partners, I will do my best to ensure even further development in the future."

Prime Minister Tusk said, "I really did not know that you were threatened during the period of martial law," and noted, "I had similar experiences during the communist era," expressing his empathy. Regarding the upgraded bilateral relationship, he commented, "Poland, by nature, once pledging friendship, alliance, or cooperation, continues to uphold it steadily. In unpredictable and challenging times, our (Korea-Poland) stable cooperation will serve as a model for other countries."

In particular, during the earlier summit with President Lee, the expansion of defense industry cooperation between the two countries was discussed. On this point, Prime Minister Tusk said, "It seems more realistic now for Polish companies to participate in the defense industry," and added, "I hope we can continue to focus on joint projects." He also said, "We hope to attract many Korean companies to invest in Poland," and, "We will strive to create an environment with talented people and favorable investment conditions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.