SEOUL, November 02 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong agreed on Sunday to establish a strategic partnership and to deepen cooperation across various sectors, including defense and trade.
During a joint press conference following their summit at the presidential office, Lee and Wong agreed to closely cooperate in advanced technology, strengthen security coordination, and expand people-to-people exchanges in response to a rapidly changing global environment.
“Our two countries share many similarities. Despite our limited land, lack of natural resources, and challenging geopolitical environments, we have both achieved remarkable growth by relying on human capital and free trade,” Lee said.
Lee said the two countries would enhance strategic cooperation in defense and security, including expanded joint research on defense technologies, and reaffirmed Seoul’s intention to actively participate in Singapore’s efforts to diversify defense imports.
He also pledged to strengthen policy and legal cooperation to combat transnational crimes such as online scams, citing both nations’ advanced digital and financial infrastructures.
Lee added that the two countries agreed to bolster economic and human exchanges through improvements to the Korea–ASEAN FTA and the Korea–Singapore FTA.
A notable outcome of the talks was an agreement to allow beef and pork produced on Jeju Island to be exported to Singapore for the first time. Lee noted that Singapore is known for its strict inspection and said the deal would pave the way for more Korean agricultural products to enter global markets.
Lee also expressed hope that Singapore, as a global financial and investment hub, would expand investment in promising Korean small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and K-content, fostering joint growth in innovative industries. He said both governments would work to strengthen institutional support for broader exchanges in culture, tourism, education, and sports under the newly established strategic partnership.
Wong described South Korea and Singapore as “rising stars of Asia” in an era of uncertainty, saying that regular exchanges between the peoples of both countries have helped build a more stable and prosperous region.
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