한국-라오스 외교 관계
During her stay in Laos, President Park will meet with the leader of that country later this week.
Ahead of those talks,... we are going to take a look back at the history of South Korea's diplomatic relations with Laos,... a country known as a traditional ally of North Korea.
Here's Kwon Jang-ho.
Celebrating 21 years of diplomatic relations this year, South Korea and Laos have developed a strong relationship based on trade, aid and cultural exchange.
Trade between the two countries was at almost at 200-million U.S. dollars in 2015, up almost 500-percent in 10 years.
South Korea is Laos' 4th largest import partner, and also the 5th largest aid donor.
"Korean products have gained a lot of popularity, especially in the thriving middle class. This stems from the rising popularity of Hallyu content, such as K-dramas and K-pop music."
But even with a decades-long close relationship, there has always been one issue standing between Seoul and Vientiane, and that's Pyongyang.
Laos, along with a few other states around the world, still declares itself a communist nation, and has therefore been a traditional ally to North Korea.
The extent of those ties became evident in 2013, when 9 teenage North Korean defectors were caught by authorities in Laos.
Many North Koreans defectors attempt to pass through Laos, as they travel from China to Thailand where they can attain safer-passage to South Korea or other countries.
Previously, caught defectors would have been quietly moved to Thailand or handed over to Seoul, but on that instance, they were publicly sent to China to be repatriated back to North Korea, against international outcry.
"South Korea was trying to grow relations with Laos at the time, being one of the largest aid donor countries. Laos also knew how much of an important economic partner South Korea was. So it was quite a surprise to see Laos officials sending back those defectors."
The South Korean government is looking to take President Park Geun-hye's visit as an opportunity to strengthen ties with Laos, as well as getting Vientiane to join the international community in condemning Pyongyang for its recent provocations.
But the North Korea-Laos ties will be difficult to break completely.
"Having reached an agreement with Laos during this trip, doesn't mean all future decisions its leadership makes will be favorable to South Korea. Seoul must see this as a stepping stone, and when the opportunity arises, it should be quicker than North Korea to offer smarter and more effective solutions that benefit Laos."
Kwon Jang-ho, Arirang News.
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