In the framework of the Royal Visit to the Republic of South Korea, VUB’s Vice-Rector Romain Meeusen signed three MoUs with Korean universities – two of which were directly related to activities at the the Institute for European Studies (now: Brussels School of Governance). General research and teaching cooperation agreements were signed between the VUB and Hankuk Universtity of Foreign Studies (HUFS) and between the VUB and Seoul National University (SNU). With HUFS, the Institute has had a long standing relationship, starting with student exchange between 2009 and 2012 and with research cooperation ever since. With SNU, an additional MoU was signed to organize a summer training programme on EU Studies for their international relations students. Starting July 2019, between 20 and 30 Korean students will travel to Brussels for a two-week course programme at our Institute.
During the visit of His Majesty the King of the Belgians Filip and his Royal Highness Queen Mathilde between 25 and 28 March, IES Korea Chair Ramon Pacheco Pardo also organized a workshop on Cybersecurity at Yonsei University. The workshop was the second of its kind, co-organised by VUB-alumnus Gertjan Boulet and EU Ambassador Michael Reiterer. Ramon also gave several interviews to Korean media. Also during the Royal visit, Board Member Leo Van Audenhove chaired an academic session on 'Improving Quality of Life through Smart Cities – Korean-Belgian Symposium' at Seoul’s Town Hall, attended by the King, several Ministers, and a high-level academic and industrial delegation.
During the three-day official visit, Belgian academia and industry signed a total of 38 agreements with Korean counterparts.
