1. Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Croatia Suh Hyung-won and Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure Siniša Hajdaš Dončić of Croatia formally signed the ROK-Croatia Agreement for Air Services at the Croatian Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure on December 30, local time.

2. The annual number of Korean visitors to Croatia has been greatly increasing over the past five years, with the number reaching approximately 264,000 in 2014 alone, up about 256% from the year before, after the TV series “Sisters over Flowers” was filmed in Croatia and broadcast on TV in the ROK.

◦ Amid such a trend, the ROK and Croatia, in an effort to promote the convenience of the growing number of travelers between the two countries and lay an institutional groundwork for flight operations between the two countries, sought an air services agreement, agreeing on the text of the deal in May 2015 after relevant talks.

3. Currently, charter flights operate between the ROK and Croatia on an irregular basis mainly in busy seasons. The ROK-Croatia Agreement for Air Services, when in force, will allow the operation of regular flights and code-sharing by airlines of the two countries and Korean travelers to Croatia to buy air tickets via Korean airlines. Accordingly, Korean travelers to Croatia are expected to make flight reservations and complete other relevant procedures more conveniently.

* The agreement will be brought into force the day when the two countries receive each other’s written notices on their completion of necessary domestic procedures for its effectuation.

4. The formally signed ROK-Croatia Agreement for Air Services is expected to boost people-to-people and material exchanges between the two countries in diverse sectors, including not only tourism but also trade and investment.


* unofficial translation