South Korea and Germany announce enhanced strategic partnership at Seoul summit

South Korea and Germany announced an enhanced strategic partnership after President Lee Jae Myung and Chancellor Friedrich Merz met in Seoul on October 29, 2026, The Korea Herald reported. The leaders pledged closer defense and security ties alongside wider cooperation in advanced industries, giving the relationship a broader scope than trade and investment.

A joint statement issued after the summit at Cheong Wa Dae called for the countries to intensify bilateral and multilateral cooperation, according to The Korea Herald. The leaders linked the move to growing economic and security uncertainty and acknowledged the connection between security in Northeast Asia and Europe.

Defense cooperation and classified information

Yonhap News Agency reported that the joint statement also committed the countries to regular military exchanges, training and information sharing. Their defense ministries plan to continue bilateral Security Policy Staff Talks covering security policy and defense industry cooperation. The statement called for regular high-level contact, including a foreign ministerial strategic dialogue, and wider discussion of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

Industry, energy and technology plans

On the economic side, Lee described a Framework for an Economic and High-tech Partnership intended to take cooperation beyond trade and investment into industrial and advanced technology sectors, The Korea Herald reported. The leaders called their countries trusted partners with complementary strengths in semiconductors and pledged deeper cooperation through a semiconductor ecosystem partnership expected to be concluded later.

Yonhap reported that the joint statement named the automotive sector, batteries, industrial AI and robotics among the areas for cooperation. The Korea Herald said the countries agreed to renew their energy partnership agreement, covering renewable energy, power grids and joint research. They also signed a protocol amending their double taxation agreement, which Lee said would provide a fairer and more transparent setting for bilateral investment.

The summit was Lee and Merz’s third bilateral meeting, Yonhap reported; they last met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in France in June. Merz was in Seoul for the 19th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business, held in the South Korean capital for the first time since 2007, according to The Korea Herald.