At G7, President Lee Meets German Chancellor: "Cooperation Must Reach a New Stage"... Discusses Middle East Affairs

Meeting with German Chancellor Merz on the Sidelines of the G7

Discussion on Middle East Situation and Supply Chain Stability

Merz: "Hope to Meet Again in Korea in October"

President Lee Jae-myung held a summit with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss ways to expand bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

President Lee Jae-myung and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are holding a bilateral meeting at the G7 Summit venue in Évian-les-Bains, France, on the 16th (local time). June 17, 2026 Yonhap News Agency
Photo by Yonhap News Agency

President Lee, who is visiting Évian, France, to attend the Group of Seven (G7) Summit, held a bilateral meeting with Chancellor Merz on the 16th (local time). The two leaders exchanged views on the development of Korea-Germany relations, as well as international issues including the situation in the Middle East following the recent U.S.-Iran ceasefire negotiations, navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and the stability of energy and supply chains.

President Lee stated, "I believe that Germany and the Republic of Korea are countries that can cooperate with each other in many areas and create synergy through their partnership." He continued, "I hope we can listen to your perspectives, share some new ideas from our side, and work together so that Korea and Germany can advance to a new stage, different from before."

In response, Chancellor Merz said, "Our bilateral relationship is excellent, and the Republic of Korea is held in very high regard in Germany. Our cooperation so far has also been progressing well." He added, "I plan to visit Korea at the end of October, and I hope we will have the opportunity to meet again then." President Lee also expressed his full support to ensure the success of Chancellor Merz's visit to Korea.

President Lee exchanged views on cooperation in the defense industry sector and on the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine. He said, "The two countries can move beyond competition to explore diverse models of cooperation, such as joint research and development, joint production, and joint entry into third markets," to which Chancellor Merz expressed his agreement.

Regarding the international situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, President Lee emphasized the importance of international cooperation, stating, "I hope that, following the recent agreement between the United States and Iran, stability in the Middle East, including the resumption of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, can be restored as soon as possible," according to the Office of the President. In response, Chancellor Merz remarked, "Recently, the crude oil and financial markets have shown relatively stable trends. It is necessary to continuously monitor the situation in the Middle East, and the sustained efforts of the international community are also needed to end the war in Ukraine."

The Office of the President reported that the two leaders agreed to further expand strategic cooperation across various fields through continued close communication at the summit level. This Korea-Germany summit took place about seven months after their last meeting on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty (G20) Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, in November of last year. At that time, the two leaders had discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula, economic cooperation, and Germany's experience with unification.

President Lee Jae-myung and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz greet each other on the 16th (local time) before a bilateral meeting at the Group of Seven (G7) summit venue in Evian-les-Bains, France. June 17, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News.

Meanwhile, this summit was held immediately after President Lee attended the first session of the expanded G7 meeting. In the session themed "Forging New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity," President Lee proposed a new direction for development cooperation and highlighted the need to bridge the artificial intelligence (AI) technology gap. He especially emphasized the importance of sharing the outcomes of AI technological advancements with all countries to enable collective growth, and introduced Korea's vision for a "Global AI Basic Society."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.