PARIS — President Lee Jae-myung said on the 8th that South Korea and France will keep working closely together to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and stability in global supply chains, speaking during a state visit to France.
Lee made the remarks in a joint press statement after a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris. "The two leaders agreed to expand the close cooperation between our two countries into joint efforts for peace and prosperity in the international community," he said. Lee added that he had attended a conference on the Strait of Hormuz led by France and Britain in April, where he outlined South Korea's willingness to contribute to stability and freedom of navigation in the strait.
The comments drew attention because they came as the possibility of a South Korean troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz is being discussed. Lee appeared to be highlighting that South Korea can play an active role in securing freedom of navigation, as Washington wants, while also leaving open the possibility of discussing the issue with a broader set of partners including France and Britain rather than the United States alone.
On the war between Russia and Ukraine, Lee said South Korea has supported Ukraine in various areas and will continue to work with the international community to restore peace and rebuild the country. On the Korean Peninsula, he said, "President Macron has shown unwavering support for our Korean Peninsula policy," adding that the two countries will cooperate closely for peace on the peninsula and in the international community.
Lee also described the steps the two sides discussed at the summit to strengthen bilateral cooperation. "By signing an amending protocol to the military information protection agreement, the two countries agreed to refine their information-sharing framework, and they also agreed to accelerate talks on an acquisition and cross-servicing agreement to improve the stability of military cooperation," he said. He cited the two air forces' joint Pegase exercise in Seoul next week and mutual naval port calls in the second half of this year as examples of that coordination.
Lee said France, a leading defense industry power in Europe, has taken part in a range of projects to strengthen the South Korean military's capabilities, and that the two sides will actively identify mutually beneficial cooperation projects going forward.
On the economy, he said the two countries agreed to strengthen industrial cooperation with a goal of reaching $20 billion in two-way trade by 2030. "We will also flesh out cooperation to connect advanced industries and science and technology — the core pillars of our bilateral cooperation, including artificial intelligence, quantum technology, space, nuclear energy and biotechnology — to markets," he said.
On nuclear energy, Lee said the two sides signed additional cooperation documents on nuclear research and development and fuel supply that build on the full-cycle nuclear cooperation agreed with France in April, and agreed to deepen cooperation on next-generation reactor development and on diversifying supply chains over the medium to long term. He also said that, based on his agreement with Macron, the two countries will open a high-level dialogue channel for civil nuclear cooperation.
