▲ President Lee Jae-myung shakes hands with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of an expanded summit at Cheong Wa Dae on October 29.
President Lee Jae-myung stated today (October 29), "At a time of growing uncertainty in the international situation, cooperation between South Korea and Germany, which share common values, is more important than ever."
Holding a summit with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at Cheong Wa Dae that day, President Lee said, "I remember having meaningful discussions about bilateral relations and the international situation when we met at the Group of 20 (G20) summit last year and the Group of Seven (G7) summit this year."
President Lee said, "The two countries have firmly developed friendly and cooperative ties over the 140-plus years since establishing diplomatic relations, and above all, they share the historical experience of overcoming the pain of division and achieving economic development." He added, "In particular, as world-leading manufacturing powerhouses, both nations are key cooperative partners in establishing stable supply chains and securing new growth engines."
He continued, "Based on trust and cooperation rooted in such deep ties, we have agreed to establish an enhanced strategic partnership between our two nations. I hope today's summit will serve as a meaningful occasion to produce tangible outcomes across diverse fields—including security, defense industry, advanced science and technology, economic security, and energy—and to gather wisdom for peace and prosperity in the international community."
In response, Chancellor Merz said, "As we currently face extremely difficult challenges, cooperation between our two countries has become more important than ever, not only economically but also politically. For this reason, we wish to elevate our decades-long close relationship to a new level."
He noted, "I have brought a large business delegation this time, and tomorrow the Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business (APK) will be held. Through this, companies from both nations will strengthen and flesh out cooperation in various sectors, such as core future technologies, semiconductors, and quantum computers."
He also invited President Lee to the Digital Summit to be held in Berlin in the fall of next year, saying, "It would be very meaningful if you could come to Germany in person to take part in the Digital Summit."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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