Czechia and South Korea Extend Education and Culture Cooperation Pact

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic has announced the conclusion of an agreement extending the validity of the Implementing Programme for Cooperation in the Fields of Education and Culture between the Government of the Czech Republic and the Government of the Republic of Korea until 31 December 2026. The extension was agreed through an exchange of notes dated 10 July 2025 and 12 November 2025 and entered into force on 1 January 2026. The communication is published in Sbírka zákonů under reference 162/2026 Sb., dated 15 September 2026.

The Implementing Programme, originally signed in Prague on 14 November 2022 and promulgated under 46/2022 Sb. m. s., governs bilateral cooperation in education and culture between the two governments. The extension was concluded in accordance with Article 9, paragraph 1 of the Programme, which allows the parties to prolong its validity by mutual agreement.

The Exchange of Notes

The agreement was formalised through two diplomatic notes exchanged between the Czech Embassy in Seoul and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea:

• Czech note No. 1475-1/2025-MZV/SOUL, issued in Seoul on 10 July 2025, proposing the one-year extension.
• Korean reply note No. OCH 2025-8877, issued in Seoul on 12 November 2025, confirming the Government of the Republic of Korea’s acceptance of the proposal.

The Czech note explicitly invoked item 49 of the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Strategic Partnership between the Czech Republic and the Republic of Korea for the years 2025–2027, anchoring the extension within the broader framework of the bilateral strategic partnership.

Scope and Entry into Force

Under the terms of the exchange, the validity of the Implementing Programme is extended by one year, until 31 December 2026, in line with Article 9, paragraph 1 of the Programme. The agreement entered into force on 1 January 2026, and both the English text of the notes and their Czech translation are promulgated simultaneously.

The Czech note also requested that the Korean Foreign Ministry transmit the document to the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, the two bodies responsible for implementing the programme’s activities. The communication was signed on behalf of the Czech side by Mgr. Šlais, Director-General of the Legal and Consular Section.

Why It Matters

The extension keeps alive a structured channel for student and academic exchanges, cultural events and institutional cooperation between the two countries through the end of 2026. By tying the renewal to the 2025–2027 Strategic Partnership Action Plan, the agreement signals that education and culture remain a deliberate pillar of Czech–South Korean relations, giving schools, universities and cultural institutions a stable, officially sanctioned framework for joint activities in the coming year.

Source: Sbírka zákonů, 162/2026 Sb., 15 September 2026, notices (official reference: 162/2026 Sb.).