The seeds of Czech-Korean relations were first sown in March 1886 when Max Taubles, a correspondent for Harper’s Magazine, passed away in Seoul and was laid to rest at Jemulpo Foreigners' Cemetery in Incheon after a brief battle with smallpox. Although his time in Korea lasted only a month and left no written record, Taubles became the first Westerner and foreign journalist to die in Korea after it opened its doors to the outside world. Notably, he was the first person from Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) to set foot in the country.

I’ve long been drawn to Czech culture, a beautiful country in the heart of Europe where diverse cultural influences have blended for centuries alongside a strong tradition of technological expertise. This connection deepened when I had the honor of meeting the wife of H.E. Milos Zeman, the Czech prime minister, who later became president (2013-2023), during his state visit to Seoul in 2001. On that occasion, I had the pleasure of contributing a congratulatory article titled "The Czech Spirit and the Prague Spring" in honor of the prime minister, published........

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