President Lee Jae-myung said after a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday that the two countries would "cooperate to secure safe maritime shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz." Korea and France agreed to elevate their bilateral relationship to a "Global Strategic Partnership," expanding cooperation beyond economic and cultural ties into the security domain. The upgrade comes 22 years after the two nations established a "Comprehensive Partnership for the 21st Century."
"The fallout from wars in the Middle East is shaking the international order," Lee said at the summit held at the Blue House. "The repercussions are spreading into the global economy and energy sector." Macron responded that "the two countries can strengthen defense cooperation and contribute to stabilizing the situation in the Middle East," adding that "bombings and violence must cease, including in the Hormuz region."
The two nations revised three agreements and signed 11 memorandums of understanding (MOUs), centered on strategic industry cooperation in nuclear energy supply chains, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence (AI). "We will strengthen energy security by expanding cooperation in nuclear power and offshore wind," Lee said. "We will increase bilateral trade from $15 billion last year to $20 billion by 2030."
Lee emphasized that "cooperation between Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and France's Orano and Framatome will stabilize nuclear fuel supply and build a foundation for joint entry into the global nuclear energy market." Macron said "cooperation spans a wide range of areas including space, defense industry, AI, quantum technology, and semiconductors," adding that he "looks forward to expanding cooperation into agri-food, culture, and climate as well."
Macron invited Lee to the Group of Seven (G7) summit to be held in France in June and also proposed co-hosting an international film and audiovisual industry summit in September. Lee replied that he "gratefully accepts."