Yoon: "Singapore, a Partner to Pioneer the Future Together... Establishing Strategic Partnership Next Year"

Yoon Holds Summit with Lawrence Wong, Singapore Prime Minister
'Supply Chain Partnership Agreement'... Joint Response to Disruptions
"No Tolerance for North Korea's Nuclear Development"... Close Cooperation

President Yoon Suk-yeol is shaking hands with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and taking a commemorative photo ahead of the South Korea-Singapore summit at the Singapore Parliament on the morning of the 8th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol emphasized on the 8th that "Singapore has been a partner running alongside us for national development over the past half-century and is a key partner to jointly pioneer the future."

During his state visit to Singapore, President Yoon said at a joint press conference following a summit with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, "I am very pleased to make a state visit to Singapore, a key ally within ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), ahead of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year."

President Yoon stated, "Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1975, Singapore and Korea have steadily developed a friendly and cooperative relationship over half a century," adding, "Despite the disadvantageous condition of lacking natural resources, both countries have nurtured talent and built hubs for advanced technology and finance, resulting in a leap to becoming global economic powers."

He continued, "Singapore and Korea have now positioned themselves as leaders in future sectors encompassing artificial intelligence (AI), digital, and green economy."

President Yoon emphasized, "As we approach the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2025, we have decided to establish a 'strategic partnership' next year as the first step to prepare for the next 50 years," adding, "To this end, both countries will further strengthen strategic cooperation in key sectors."

President Yoon explained that while deepening cooperation in advanced technologies including AI and startups, which will be the driving force for future development, they will also enhance research and development (R&D) cooperation to jointly respond to global challenges such as food crises caused by abnormal climate and pandemics.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the South Korea-Singapore summit with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the Singapore Parliament on the morning of the 8th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon said that he and Prime Minister Wong agreed to further strengthen supply chains of strategic materials and energy cooperation in response to instability in the international economy.

President Yoon stated, "Based on the 'Supply Chain Partnership Agreement' signed between the two countries this time, we will strengthen supply chain cooperation in the fields of bio, energy, and advanced industries and respond together to supply chain disruptions," emphasizing, "The 'LNG Supply Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)' signed with Singapore, a global liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading hub, will greatly contribute to establishing a stable international energy supply chain."

He also mentioned plans to strengthen the institutional foundation for human and material exchanges. President Yoon said, "We welcome the activation of exchanges between our peoples, with mutual visitors between the two countries exceeding 900,000 last year, and have agreed to revise the 'Air Services Agreement' enacted in 1972 by next year."

He added, "Prime Minister Wong and I share the view that the international community will never tolerate North Korea's illegal nuclear development and reckless provocations, and during this ASEAN summit, we will closely cooperate to ensure that a clear and unified message from the international community toward North Korea is delivered."