S. Korea, UK to upgrade relations to ‘global strategic partnership’

Nov 22, 2023, 09:11 am

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President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a dinner with South Korean nationals in the U.K. at a hotel in London on Nov. 20, 2023./ Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Hong Sun-mi

South Korea and the U.K. will upgrade their relations to a “global strategic partnership” from the current “broad and creative partnership” on President Yoon Suk-yeol’s state visit to London.

Both countries agreed to launch negotiations for a revision of the South Korea-U.K. free trade agreement and enhance cooperation in the future industries, such as semiconductors, clean energy, artificial intelligence, space science, and defense, as well as responding to the international situation, including the North Korean nuclear issue.

The presidential office announced Monday that Yoon and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak adopted the “Downing Street Accord,” which marks the 140th anniversary of bilateral relations.

“The Downing Street Accord, which upgraded bilateral ties to a global strategic partnership, is the highest possible cooperative document that the two countries can sign,” said Kim Eun-hye, Seoul’s senior presidential secretary for public relations. “President Yoon Suk-yeol will create new business opportunities by solidifying supply chains and the foundation for trade cooperation based on strong science and technology solidarity with the U.K,” Kim said.

The accord will stress their common position on the Korean Peninsula issues, such as the North Korean nuclear issue. It will include a joint will to respond to pending issues such as the Ukraine crisis, and the situation in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East regions.

It also specified strengthened cooperation in the fields of defense and security. The two countries will expand combined military drills and carry out joint sanction patrols, authorized by the United Nations Security Council targeting North Korea.

To strengthen defense cooperation, the two countries will sign a letter of intent for a defense cooperation partnership and a memorandum of understanding on defense export. The two countries will form strategic cybersecurity partnership, which will bolster the two countries’ ability to respond to cyber threats.

The two countries will launch negotiations for an upgraded free trade agreement between them, and sign a memorandum of understanding on semiconductors to strengthen their supply chain.

They will also seek economic and financial cooperation in future industries such as artificial intelligence, digital technology, nuclear power, space, biotechnology, quantum technologies and clean energy.

#South Korea #U.K #global strategic partnership