Pahor first Slovenian president to pay official visit to South Korea
Ljubljana, 17 December - Coinciding with the Winter Olympics in South Korea in February, President Borut Pahor paid the first official visit by a Slovenian president to this Asian country.
Seoul, South Korea
President Borut Pahor meets South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in on the last day of his official two-day visit to the country in 2018.
Photo: Yonhap/STA
File photo
Although bilateral relations featured prominently in meetings with Korean leaders and the visit was seen as a means of promoting economic cooperation, it was denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula that was in the spotlight.
Pahor expressed strong support for Seoul's peaceful policy on internationally isolated North Korea and President Moon Jae-in's efforts for dialogue on the nuclear stalemate after a series of nuclear tests and new threats made in 2017.
He praised Moon's courage to push for dialogue despite scepticism on the part of many officials, and also visited the demilitarised zone between the two neighbours.
Four months after the visit, US President Donald Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to agree on a full denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. Although still far from bringing concrete results, the historic summit was described by Pahor as restoring hope in the peaceful resolution of disputes.