Germany and South Korea announce strategic partnership

Germany and South Korea announced an enhanced strategic partnership after President Lee Jae Myung and Chancellor Friedrich Merz met in Seoul, expanding cooperation across security, industry, technology and economic ties. A joint statement adopted after the summit described plans to deepen political, security, economic, cultural and people-to-people cooperation. The leaders said their countries would strengthen strategic coordination as they face shared international challenges. The South Korean presidential office described the upgrade as the first in bilateral relations since diplomatic ties began in 1883. On defense, Lee said the governments would pursue an agreement to protect classified military information and expand defense-industrial cooperation. They also committed to stronger communication between their defense authorities, military exchanges and cooperation on training. The information-protection agreement remains prospective; the summit briefing gave no deadline for its conclusion. The two countries also announced an economic and high-technology partnership covering trade, industry and future technologies. Areas identified for cooperation include automobiles,...