President Lee "Korea-China share values... We must cooperate amid uncertainty in the international situation"

Merz “Concretizing corporate cooperation…not only economic but also political cooperation is important”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Ko Dong-wook = President Lee Jae-myeong said on the 29th, "Now that uncertainty in the international situation is increasing, cooperation between the Republic of Korea and Germany, who share values, is more important than ever."

President Lee held a summit meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the Blue House on this day and said, "I remember meeting at the G20 summit last year and the G7 summit this year and having meaningful conversations about the relationship between our two countries and the international situation."

President Lee said, "Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have developed a solid relationship of friendship and cooperation over the past 140 years. Above all, we also share historical experiences of overcoming the pain of division and achieving economic development," adding, "In particular, as both countries are global manufacturing powers, they are key cooperative partners for building a stable supply chain and securing new growth engines."

“We decided to establish a strengthened strategic partnership between the two countries based on trust and cooperation based on these deep ties,” he said. “We hope that today’s meeting will be a meaningful event that will produce concrete results in various fields such as security, defense industry, advanced science and technology, economic security, and energy, and gather wisdom for peace and prosperity in the international community.”

Prime Minister Merz responded, "Currently, we are facing very difficult topics, so cooperation between the two countries has become more important than ever, not only in the economy but also in politics. That is why we want to elevate the close relationship that has existed for decades to a new level."

He said, "We brought a large-scale economic delegation this time, and tomorrow the Asia-Pacific Business Conference (APK) will be held. Through this, companies from both countries will strengthen and materialize cooperation in various fields such as future core technologies, semiconductors, and quantum computers."

He also invited President Lee to the digital summit to be held in Berlin next fall and said, "It would be very meaningful if he could come to Germany and hold a digital summit in person."