Embassy of the Republic of Korea to the Kingdom of Belgium and the European Union and Permanent Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Overview

General

• Country Name : Kingdom of Belgium
  • French : Royaume de Belgique
  • Dutch : Koninkrijk Belgie
  • German : Königreich Belgien
• Official language(s)
  • French, Dutch, German
• Climate
  • Mild climate in most of the regions Mediterranean climate in the South
• Area
  • 30.528 ㎢
• Population
  • 11,760,000 (in 2024)
• Capital
  • Brussels(Bruxelles) (Population: approx.1,240,000 in 2024)
  • Bilingual (French and Dutch)
• Religion
  • Roman Catholicism (75%), Judaism, Protestantism(the Anglican church and the Orthodox church), Islam
• Temperature
  • Maritime temperature
    • Average temperate:
      • Summer : 12-25°C
      • Winter : 0-10°C
    • Annual precipitation:
      • 780 - 850 millimeters

Government and Politics

• Independence day
  • 21, July
• Government
  • Federal parliamentary democracy and Constitutional Monarchy
• Head of the State
  • His Majesty Philippe (King of the Belgians)
• Prime Minister
  • Bart DE WEVER
• Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • Bernard QUINTIN
• Legislature
  • Bicameral system (Federal parliament: Upper House, Lower House)
• Main Party
  • Social democrats, Liberal democrats, Flemish Nationalists(NVA), Christian democrats, Greens and so on (Political parties are divided into linguistic groups; Dutch speaking parties and Francophone parties)

Economy (2025, IMF)

• GDP
  • US$ 689.3 billion
  • Per capital GDP : US$ 58,250
  • Unemployment rate : 5.7%
• External Trade (2023, Belgian Foreign Trade Agency)
  • Export: 520.4 billion euros
  • Import: 505.6 billion euro

Korea and Belgium first established ‘the treaty of friendship’ in 1901 and Belgium was one of the first countries to recognize the Republic of Korea as a sovereign nation when Korea established its government on 15th of August, 1948.

Belgium sent infantrymen to help in the Korean War. Approximately 3,000 infantrymen were sent annually in the fight and 106 of them lost their lives.

Belgium supports our policy towards North Korea, which emphasizes peaceful resolution to the issues of the South and the North through dialogue.

High-level exchanges

Economic relations

Overview

• Belgium’s territory is relatively small and it has a small population in comparison with Korea. It has few natural resources. However, its intermediary and processing trade is well-developed; thus, Korea has had a long-standing close economic relationship with Belgium.
• Belgium was the first European country to dispatch an investment mission to Korea to boost our economy during the economic crisis in 1998.

Bilateral Trade (2023, KITA)

• Exports to Belgium: US$ 50.25 billion (Heavy construction equipment, Synthetic resins, Pharmaceuticals, Electric vehicles, Storage batteries, etc.)
• Imports from Belgium: US$ 19.44 billion (Pharmaceuticals, Platinum, Naphtha, Photographic film materials, Fine chemicals, etc.)
• Trade statistics over the last few years (Unit: $1 million/The rate of increase and decrease: %)

  Trade statistics over the last few years

  	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
  Export (rate of increase)	2,795 (15.2)	3,246 (16.1)	2,707 (△16.6)	2,753 (1.7)	4,438 (61.2)	5,029 (13.3)	5,025 (△0.1)
  Import (rate of increase)	1,273 (18.7)	1,496 (17.5)	1,323 (△11.6)	1,552 (17.3)	3,424 (120.7)	3,130 (△8.6)	1,944 (△37.9)
  Total volume	4,068	4,742	4,030	4,305	7,862	8,159	6,969
  Balance of Trade	1,522	1,750	1,384	1,201	1,014	1,899	3,081

  Reference: KITA

Bilateral Investment

• Belgium’s investment in the ROK: 259 cases, US$ 4.06 billion (Source: Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (based on reports; totals are cumulative since 1962)
• The ROK’s investment in Belgium :199 cases, US$ 3.32 billion (Source: Export-Import Bank (based on reports; totals are cumulative since 1980)

Updated on 3 February 2025