Deputy Parliament Speaker Zeljko Reiner said on Monday, on an official visit to South Korea, he hoped a Croatian embassy would soon open in Seoul, which would facilitate business connections and dialogue between the two countries.

Trade between Croatia and Korea grew last year by 252 percent compared to 2016, Reiner said in a meeting with his host, the South Korean Deputy Parliament Speaker Park Joo-sun.

Although Croatia’s deficit in the trade exchange between the two countries is a problem, Reiner said the further improvement of economic relations was in Korea’s investments in key projects in Croatia, especially in the areas of transport, infrastructure and energy.

He added that Croatian government was working hard to simplify the legal framework which would improve the investment climate and remove administrative hurdles.

Reiner and Park agreed that the bilateral relations were excellent, and Park said that the Korean visitors to Croatia saw the country as an attractive tourist destination, but also a place of great interest to investors.

The two officials also discussed the historic summit of the two Koreas’ presidents in the demilitarised border zone on Friday, said the press release by the Croatian Parliament.

The Croatian Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, currently represents Croatia in the Republic of Korea.