Merz in Seoul for summit with South Korea's Lee as chips, batteries and defense top agenda
On the final leg of his Asia trip, Chancellor Friedrich Merz is in Seoul for talks with President Lee Jae Myung on chips, batteries, AI and defense. No results had been announced at first.
Archive image · Photo: 内閣広報室 / Cabinet Public Affairs Office / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz traveled from Tokyo to Seoul on Thursday, the third and final stop of a five-day Asia trip. Talks with President Lee Jae Myung at Cheong Wa Dae were scheduled for the afternoon local time, followed by a joint press statement – at around 10 a.m. CET, according to AFP – and an official dinner. No results had been announced by the time of publication. It is the first official bilateral visit by a German chancellor to South Korea in three years.
South Korea's presidential office said the talks would focus on trade and investment, particularly in batteries, semiconductors and artificial intelligence, as well as defense and arms industry cooperation and regional security. Berlin is seeking to broaden its partnerships in Asia and cut its dependence on China. Merz is accompanied by executives from industry, technology, energy and defense companies.
Around 60 guests were invited to the dinner, including 52 business executives (23 Korean and 29 German), according to the Seoul Economic Daily, among them Siemens CEO Roland Busch and BASF CEO Markus Kamieth. On Friday, Merz is due to open the 19th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business in Seoul. A visit to the Demilitarized Zone bordering North Korea and to a university is also planned.