Embassy of the Republic of Korea to New Zealand

New Zealand has been one of the countries familiar to Korean people for many years, but has more recently been known for things like the Lord of the Rings, a gateway country to Antarctica and Korea’s Jang Bogo Station, and a peaceful, green country where there are more sheep than people.

The relationship between the Republic of Korea and New Zealand dates back to 1950s, when New Zealand sent some 6,000 troops to the Korean War. Since then our close partnership has grown and strengthened. New Zealand’s participation in the Colombo Plan and projects such as a pilot dairy farm in Pyeongtaek, Korea, in the 1960s and 70s have been important in laying the foundation for the friendship we share today.

The Republic of Korea and New Zealand are both middle power countries and members of G20, who share basic values of democracy and market economy. Also, as like-minded countries sharing values with the international community such as human rights, Korea and New Zealand are closely cooperating in the international arena, including United Nations, to contribute to world peace and prosperity.

Since the establishment of official diplomatic relations in 1962, our two countries have developed a mutually beneficial relationship. Exchanges and cooperation between the leaders of the two countries, and our governments, have been increasing. Since the Korea-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement came into force in late 2015, trade between the two countries has been strong. In particular, President Moon Jae-in's state visit to New Zealand in December 2018 served as an opportunity for the two countries to further consolidate cooperation across a wide range of areas including economics, science and people-to-people exchange. In recent years, cooperation in innovative sectors such as hydrogen has been actively carried out. Building upon this bilateral agreement, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea is dedicated to further enhancing our mutually beneficial partnership between the two countries in all areas.

People-to-people exchange is growing significantly. There are over 35,000 ethnic Koreans who live, work and study in New Zealand. The Korean community is now an exemplary ethnic community in New Zealand, making a significant contribution to the development of New Zealand society.

In 2016, more than 90,000 Korean tourists visited New Zealand destinations including Queenstown, and Rotorua. This number is expected to increase even further in the near future building on the rapid growth in our bilateral relationship.

New Zealand is one of the preferred overseas destinations for Korean students. There are currently about 6,000 Korean students studying in New Zealand. With the increased number of annual quota in New Zealand for Korean working holiday visa holders, up to 3,000 annually, more Korean youth are expected to come to New Zealand to study and work. Korea also offers working holiday opportunities for young New Zealanders and Koreans welcome them to come and experience our culture and build connections between our two countries.

New Zealand is home to well-known and successful Korean born Kiwis including New Zealand’s first Korean born Member of Parliament, Melissa Lee, and the international golfing sensation, Lydia Ko. Their success on the world has been contributing to promoting the profile of New Zealand and Korea on the world stage.

They are not alone and there are many other Korean New Zealanders achieving success in both of our countries and internationally. People to people ties and exchanges are the foundation to expanding the bilateral relations between Korea and New Zealand. The Embassy is committed to supporting further growth in these exchanges for mutual benefit to deepen our friendship.

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Wellington is also responsible for further developing Korea’s diplomatic relations with the Independent State of Samoa, the Kingdom of Tonga and the Cook Islands. The Pacific countries are important partners of Korea and we are committed to maintaining and further developing these close relationships. From experience, we understand how international aid has contributed to the economic development in our country, and Korea is providing a range of Official Development Assistance for pacific island countries to support their economic development and contribute to the regional peace. I affirm my commitment to further expand Korea’s engagement and cooperation with New Zealand and these important partners in the Pacific.

I hope this website will be useful for you to better understand Korea and its relationship with New Zealand, and the Independent State of Samoa, the Kingdom of Tonga and the Cook Islands, and for any of your future visits to Korea.

Thank you.