South Korea plans to hold its first-ever governmental event with Macedonia this week, as the two sides have no formal diplomatic relations, an official said Thursday.

The 2015 Korean Culture Week is to open later in the day in the Balkan country's capital Skopje for a three-day run.

"It's the first culture event for our government to hold in cooperation with the government of Macedonia, with which South Korea has not established diplomatic relations," the Foreign Ministry's spokesman Noh Kwang-il said at a press briefing.

 It is expected to serve as a chance for laying the groundwork for improved ties between the two sides by introducing Korea's traditional and modern culture to local people, he added.

 Macedonia is one of just three nations among 193 United Nations member states with which South Korea does not have diplomatic relations, along with Cuba and Syria. South and North Korea are considered one nation under the South's constitution.

South Korea has struggled to forge diplomatic ties with Macedonia due to its naming row with Greece, which has a region with the same name Macedonia. (Yonhap)