Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said Jan. 13 that Korea and the Czech Republic have strong potential to deepen cooperation across the energy sector and play an expanded role as strategic and comprehensive partners. Jung made the remarks during a meeting with Ivan Jancarek, the Czech ambassador to Korea, at the National Assembly in Seoul. He said the two countries share common perspectives on major global challenges, including energy security, carbon neutrality and responses to climate change. “Korea and the Czech Republic maintain cooperation across the broader energy field, and I believe that as strategic and comprehensive partners, the two countries can play a sufficient and meaningful role together,” Jung said. Jung pointed to recent high-level exchanges as evidence of growing bilateral engagement. He noted that about a month earlier Korea’s interior and safety minister visited the Czech Republic, where the two sides discussed cooperation in areas such as digital government, disaster and safety management, and local administration. He added that Seoul a