President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday, where they promised cooperation in the economic and security sectors of the two countries and close cooperation in the event of further provocations by North Korea.
After holding a summit at the presidential office building in Yongsan, the two leaders made a joint press announcement.
"We both agreed that solidarity between countries is important to protect freedom in response to the threats facing the international community today, and that Korea and Germany should further strengthen mutual cooperation as members of this solidarity," Yoon said.
Emphasizing that the two countries are key economic partners, the president said the two shared the perception that global supply chain instability has a negative impact on the global economy and they should strengthen cooperation in economic security to build stable supply chains and promote energy security.
The two leaders also promised close cooperation in response to North Korea's recent provocations.
“The two leaders shared serious concerns over North Korea's recent repeated missile provocations and agreed to work closely together to elicit a united response from the international community in the event of North Korea's further major provocations,” Yoon said, reading their prepared statement.
Yoon told Steinmeier that he was deeply grateful for expressing his condolences to the victims and bereaved families of the Itaewon disaster and for conveying the warm comfort of the German people. Prior to the summit, President Steinmeier visited a joint memorial altar at Seoul Plaza at 8:28 a.m. to pay his respects.
