South Korea Germany Partnership: Lee, Merz Pledge Defense, Chip Ties

Featured image: Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential compound in Seoul where the summit was held (file photo). Photo: Republic of Korea, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

South Korea and Germany upgraded their relationship to an “Enhanced Strategic Partnership” on Thursday, Oct. 29, after President Lee Jae Myung and Chancellor Friedrich Merz met at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. The South Korea Germany partnership commits both countries to closer defense ties, a deal to share classified military information, and new cooperation on chips, batteries and AI, Yonhap reported.

It was the leaders’ third meeting and Merz’s first visit to South Korea as chancellor. They last met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in France in June.

Defense and security: the core of the new partnership

A joint statement said both countries will deepen security and defense cooperation through regular military exchanges, training cooperation and information sharing, and will keep holding Security Policy Staff Talks between their defense ministries. They recommitted to concluding an agreement on protecting classified military information, a legal step that allows militaries to share sensitive intelligence.

“Our two countries will strengthen strategic communication between our respective defense authorities and work to swiftly conclude an Agreement on the Protection of Classified Military Information,” Lee said, according to The Korea Herald. He said Korean defense companies want long-term partnerships with German firms through joint investment and joint development.

Merz tied the deal to the war in Ukraine. He said North Korean soldiers fighting Ukrainian troops in Donbas endanger freedom in Europe, as does Russia’s supply of weapons to Pyongyang. The summit came the same day North Korea fired about a dozen ballistic missiles from Wonsan.

Chips, batteries and AI

The two governments agreed to widen economic ties beyond trade and investment into industry and advanced technology. Korea’s trade ministry and Germany’s economy ministry were set to sign a Joint Declaration of Intent on a Framework for an Economic and High-tech Partnership on Friday morning, covering cars, batteries, industrial AI, smart manufacturing, advanced energy systems and robotics.

The joint statement called the two countries “trusted partners with complementary strengths in the semiconductor industry” and said a semiconductor ecosystem partnership is expected soon. They also agreed to renew their energy partnership, signed a protocol amending their double taxation treaty, and agreed to expand talks on cybersecurity and the risks of AI. Lee said he asked Germany to help ensure Korean companies get the same treatment as EU firms under the bloc’s proposed Industrial Accelerator Act.

What was agreed, at a glance

Source: Korea-Germany joint statement as reported by Yonhap and The Korea Herald. Table: The Boston Report.

Merz was in Seoul for the 19th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business, held in the city for the first time since 2007, a 19-year gap. The joint statement said the choice of venue reflected South Korea’s “geopolitical weight, technological edge and role as a trusted anchor for German industries in the Indo-Pacific.”

Division, the DMZ and what comes next

Both leaders pointed to Germany’s experience of division. “Drawing on Germany’s own painful experience of division, Chancellor Merz has expressed a deep, unwavering understanding of our efforts to resume dialogue and establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula,” Lee said. Merz said he planned to visit the Demilitarized Zone on Friday, adding, “We know all too well how painful it is to live in a divided country.”

The trip comes as Merz faces pressure at home, including a court fight over a recount that could cost him his majority. The next markers are the signing of the classified-information agreement and the chip partnership, neither of which has a public date yet.

Sources

• Yonhap: S. Korea, Germany heighten ties, boost defense cooperation
• The Korea Herald: Korea, Germany forge ‘enhanced strategic partnership’
• The Korea Times: Korea, Germany agree to upgrade bilateral ties
• Reuters via Devdiscourse: Germany, South Korea deepen security partnership