Greece–South Korea relations

History

Ancient/Medieval

The Byzantine historian Theophylact Simocatta mention the Mucri. Mucri were the Koreans and more precisely the Goguryeo.

Modern

The Greek newspaper "Vradyni" (Βραδυνή) decided to give a 6th century B.C. corinthian helmet which was discovered in Ancient Olympia to the winner of the Marathon race of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. The winner was the Korean runner Sohn Kee-chung. The helmet is now displayed at the National Museum of Korea and is the only Western artifact that has been recognised as a Treasure (#904) by the Korean government. Inside the helmet two metal labels have been added with the inscriptions:

"From the Athens daily newspaper "Vradini", to the winner of marathon in the XI Olympiad in Berlin 1936"

"Corinthian helmet discovered in Olympia, produced in the 6th century BC during the golden age of the Olympic Games"

After North Korea forces invaded the South Korea in 1950, starting the Korean War, Harry S. Truman compared the communist behaviour in Korea to that of the communists in Greece (see Greek Civil War) and said that "Korea is the Greece of the Far East". Greece sent an expeditionary force to help the South Koreans defend against the invasion. At that time, the small Orthodox community of Korea received support by Greek military chaplain ministers.

Then, Korean Orthodox faithful requested to come under the spiritual care of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1955 and the Ecumenical Patriarchate took the Korean Orthodox Church under its protection in 1956.

Both countries established diplomatic relations on April 15, 1961. South Korea opened its embassy in Athens on July 6, 1973. Greece opened its embassy in Seoul in October 1991. Greece also has an honorary consulate in Daejeon.

In the National Museum of Korea, there is an exhibition with ancient Greek and Roman artefacts.