The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIR) will monitor the proper development of contracts between Romania and South Korea so that the activity of Korean companies in Romania is not blocked by bureaucracy, CCIR President Mihai Daraban said on Thursday.
"The Republic of South Korea must be treated in a special way, given its desire to invest in Romania. At the CCIR level, we will monitor the proper development of contracts between the two countries and we will ensure that the activity of Korean companies in Romania is not blocked by bureaucracy. One thing is certain: if we miss this opportunity, it means that we are also lost," Daraban said at an economic forum.
The Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised the Romania-Korea Defence Industry Day economic forum in Bucharest, an event focused on the defence industry sector, which highlighted the significant progress made recently by the two countries in formalising several important projects in this field.
Mihai Daraban noted the good sate of relations between Romania and the Republic of Korea.
"We, at CCIR, were the ones who, in the midst of the pandemic, managed to bring the most important Korean players in the defence industry to Romania. As a result, many projects in this field were formalized last year, with agreements signed with at least 30 Romanian companies that produce various subassemblies that will subsequently be part of the finished product. We are thus talking about production in Romania, new jobs, and the involvement of Romanian companies in large-scale joint projects," said the CCIR president.
According to him, the Romanian authorities must understand the importance of trade relations with South Korea and show consistency.
"Romanian policymakers must promptly handle the South Koreans and understand that they are coming to manufacture in Romania. The Ministry of Defence's procurement department has generally been accustomed to buying. Less so with production in Romania, less so with the long manufacturing cycle, which we saw, for example, in the case of the Corvettes. It is up to us to be consistent, to keep our promises, regardless of who holds a temporary position in the government. Because our big problem, historically speaking, is this lack of consistency," Daraban later explained.
Present at the forum, Byungro Choi, vice president of the Korea Defence Industry Association (KDIA), emphasized that the event is very important for the exchange of experience between companies from the two countries, which can thus identify new opportunities for joint economic projects.
"Romania is a member of NATO and the EU and plays a central role in European security, while the Republic of Korea is consolidating its role as a global partner in the defence industry through its technology and procurement capabilities. Together with the CCIR, I am convinced that we will develop a model of strategic cooperation between Romania's defence modernization plan and Korean defence industry technologies," said Byungro Choi.
In his turn, Cristina Dragomirescu, vice president of the Romanian Agency for Technological and Industrial Cooperation for Security and Defense (ARCTICS), established in 2023, specified that the institution monitors industrial cooperation for defence and security contracts worth over ten million euros, consisting of know-how transfer, localization, the creation of maintenance and research capabilities, and the production of essential parts for each of the military equipment to be purchased by Romania.
"Why is this necessary? Because before our partner countries come and protect us, we must protect ourselves. I believe that learning from Ukraine's experience should be enough to understand how important it is for us to have the capabilities here, to have local maintenance, and to have the most sensitive components manufactured here with the support of our partners," said Cristina Dragomirescu.
According to this agreement, ARCTICS, MApN, and the Ministry of Economy will decide which elements are of essential interest for each future procurement for security and defence, thus informing South Korean companies about legal procedures.
The Romania-Korea Defence Industry Day economic forum was attended by nine companies from the Republic of Korea operating in the defence industry, as well as over 30 Romanian companies from the same economic sector. AGERPRES
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