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President Lee Jae-myung and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, along with their spouses, converse with business leaders during an official luncheon at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, on November 2. Attendees included Korea International Trade Association Chairman Yoon Jin-sik, Korea Employers Federation Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik (Chairman of CJ Group), Korea Federation of SMEs Chairman Choi Jin-sik, Celltrion Group Chairman Seo Jung-jin, and Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan. / Source: Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong agreed on November 2 to elevate bilateral relations to a strategic partnership, pledging closer cooperation in advanced technology, defense, and economic security.

During their summit at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, the two leaders signed a Joint Statement on Establishing the Korea–Singapore Strategic Partnership, reaffirming shared values and commitments across multiple sectors including politics, green energy transition, innovation, and people-to-people exchanges.

At a joint press conference after the meeting, President Lee said, “Prime Minister Wong and I have agreed to establish a ‘strategic partnership’ between our two countries,” adding that both sides recognized the importance of strategic cooperation “in addressing global challenges such as climate change and transnational crime at a time when the international order is under strain.”

Prime Minister Wong arrived in Korea on October 29 to attend the APEC Summit in Gyeongju.

Following the summit, the two governments signed four memorandums of understanding (MOUs):

• a Digital Cooperation MOU to promote joint research in artificial intelligence and exchanges between tech firms,

• an MOU on Green and Digital Shipping Routes to advance logistics and maritime industries,

• an MOU on Cultural and Sports Exchange, and

• an MOU on Human Resources Administration Cooperation.

Both countries also agreed to expand joint research in defense technology and strengthen policy collaboration and law enforcement cooperation to combat online scams and other cross-border crimes.

Seoul and Singapore further committed to revitalizing trade and investment through the Korea–ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA) improvement and the Korea–Singapore FTA framework.

President Lee expressed Korea’s willingness to actively participate in Singapore’s diversification of defense supplies, noting that the summit also marked the first agreement to export beef and pork from Jeju Island to Singapore.

In his opening remarks, Lee said, “As leading nations of innovation and advanced industry in Northeast and Southeast Asia, Korea and Singapore can build a truly shining strategic partnership,” hoping the visit would take bilateral relations to a new level.

Prime Minister Wong welcomed the partnership upgrade, saying, “I hope this will serve as a platform for even greater cooperation. Singapore and Korea share similar philosophies and future visions, and that allows us to move forward together as both regional and global partners amid today’s challenges.”