Germany and South Korea seek to deepen their partnership

Seoul (dpa/d.de) – Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea have agreed to comprehensively deepen their partnership in the areas of security and business. The visit of the German delegation was overshadowed by the latest North Korean missile tests that took place just before its arrival. The two politicians stated that the security situation in Europe and Northeast Asia were inseparably interlinked. 

Germany and South Korea want to cooperate more closely on armaments issues and to established more resilient supply chains for key technologies such as artificial intelligence, semi-conductors and quantum computers. 

President Lee called for a reduction of bureaucratic obstacles in Germany, and in particular for quicker issuance of visas and residence permits for skilled workers from South Korea.

At the start of his visit, Friedrich Merz signed the official guest book, wishing the people on the divided peninsula “unity in freedom”. On Friday, Mr Merz will be visiting the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) before opening the 19th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business. 

Following visits to Singapore and Japan, South Korea is the third stop on the Federal Chancellor’s trip to Asia. The Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Friedrich Merz agreed on a number of joint declarations for enhanced cooperation in the areas of security, advanced technology and the arms industry. Merz described Japan as one of Germany’s closest partners.