Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura has concluded a visit to Seoul, where she participated in the 7th World Conference of the World Tourism Organization of the United Nations. During her stay, she met with Korean government ministers and representatives of the country's leading airlines and travel agencies in order to strengthen connections between the two countries.

In her meetings with South Korean Culture and Tourism Minister Do Jong-hwan and Veterans Minister Pi Woo-jin, as well as the Democratic Party's parliamentary spokesman and head of the Greco-Korean Friendship Group, Hong Young-pyo, Kountoura stressed the strong ties between the two countries and the need to launch a direct air link between Seoul and Athens. Both ministers and the parliamentary spokesman have pledged to support Kountoura's initiative. She also met with senior executives from the leading travel groups KAL and Hanjin Travel, and Korean Air, with the aim of directly boosting tourism flows from South Korea to Greece and prioritising a direct flight between Seoul and Athens.

 All parties have committed themselves to working more closely with the Ministry of Tourism and the Greek Tourism Organisation to speed up the procedures leading to the launch of a new direct air link in time for the next summer tourist season in 2019.

Kountoura also held consecutive meetings with top executives of the Korean entertainment industry to promote Greece across Asia through cinema, television, music and fashion.