By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

President Lee Jae-myung held his first summit call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz since his inauguration and agreed to further solidify the traditional friendly and cooperative relationship between Korea and Germany on July 24.

In the call that day, President Lee congratulated Chancellor Merz on his inauguration and said that Korea and Germany have enjoyed a long history of about 140 years.

They praised the close cooperation in various fields, including politics, economy, society, and culture, since the establishment of diplomatic relations.

They also said, “I hope that the new governments of the two countries, which were launched at similar times, will continue to interact and communicate even more closely in the future.”

In response, Chancellor Merz emphasized, “Korea is a key partner in the Indo-Pacific region,” and said, “I am pleased that the two countries have maintained a long-standing cooperative relationship based on common values such as democracy, human rights, and free trade.”

The two leaders especially positively evaluated the fact that Korea and Germany have continued economic cooperation even amid recent global economic uncertainties, and agreed to expand the scope of substantive cooperation in the future.

The two leaders expressed their hope to meet in person and continue their dialogue through various opportunities, including multilateral events, as soon as possible.

This first telephone conversation between the two leaders is evaluated as an opportunity to solidify trust between the new governments of the two countries and to establish a bridgehead for the future-oriented development of Korea-Germany relations.