Central European nations seek South Korea train partnership

The leaders of four Central European nations have met in Hungary’s capital where they urged visiting South Korean President Moon Jae-in to consider investing in a rapid train line connecting Budapest and Polish capital Warsaw

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- The leaders of four Central European nations met Thursday in Hungary’s capital, where they urged visiting South Korean President Moon Jae-in to consider investing in a rapid train line connecting Budapest and Poland's capital, Warsaw.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was the host of the prime ministers of the Visegrad Group of four Central European nations, said at a joint news briefing that the potential rail investment was the “largest common enterprise of the V4 countries" — a pact which includes Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland.

“South Korea has developed technology in this field, and a south to north travel corridor in Europe cannot be achieved if the (V4) capitals are not connected with a rapid train,” Orban said, adding that the rail investment aims to reduce travel time on the 800-kilometer (500-mile) line from 12 hours to five.

“We really hope that South Korean industry will be interested in this development,” Orban said.