President Lee Jaemyung, currently on an official visit to Chile, announced that South Korea and Chile have agreed to discuss ways to promote trade relations, including improvements to the bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and to reactivate the South Korea-Chile FTA Joint Committee for this purpose.

President Lee made the remarks during a joint press conference following a summit with Chilean President José Antonio Kast at the Presidential Palace in Santiago.

"In 1949, Chile became the first South American nation to recognize the government of the Republic of Korea, and in 2004, South Korea chose Chile as its very first FTA partner. Over the past 20 years, bilateral trade has quadrupled, proving that our two countries' strategic choice was the right one," President Lee said, signaling a drive to accelerate FTA enhancements.

He added, "The two leaders also exchanged in-depth views on the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Pacific Alliance (PA)."

The importance of cooperation in core minerals and energy was also emphasized.

President Lee noted, "Chile, a resource-rich nation that ranks first in the world in copper production and lithium reserves, and South Korea, a leader in advanced industries such as semiconductors and batteries, are ideal partners for building a core mineral supply chain." He pledged to expand exchanges based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on mineral resource partnership and the MOU on investment cooperation signed that day.

Regarding the infrastructure sector, President Lee explained, "Korean companies have actively contributed to Chile's infrastructure construction over the past two decades, and are currently faithfully constructing the 'Chacao' bridge, Chile's largest national project and South America's first four-lane suspension bridge. We will cooperate actively to ensure it becomes a landmark project."

In addition, President Lee stated that the two sides agreed to continue discussions to lay the institutional groundwork for strengthening cooperation in the defense and shipbuilding sectors.

Remarks on bilateral science and technology cooperation and cultural exchanges followed.

"Our two countries have jointly explored Antarctica, a shared heritage of humanity. I thank Chile for supporting our Antarctic station activities," President Lee said.

He also promised, "K-pop, K-dramas, K-food, and K-beauty have taken root as trends in Chile. The government will continue to support enhancing the cultural affinity between the peoples of both countries."

Furthermore, President Lee added that under the shared understanding that a nation's primary duty is to protect the lives and safety of its citizens, the two countries have decided to expand cooperation between their police and coast guard authorities to combat transnational crime and eradicate illegal maritime activities.

The two countries also agreed to cooperate closely on peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the international community.

"During today's summit, I asked for Chile's unwavering support for resolving the North Korean nuclear issue and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula," President Lee said. "President Kast expressed his commitment to working together for the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula."

The two nations also agreed to join forces for the joint hosting of the 4th UN Ocean Conference in 2028 and the successful hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Chile in 2032.

Concluding his remarks, President Lee expressed hope that "the two countries will join hands as 'Amigos' and open up a better future together," ending his speech with the local greeting, "Muchas Gracias."

(Photo: Yonhap News)