EU-Republic of Korea summit: Main results

The 10th EU-Republic of Korea summit took place in Seoul, as both partners celebrate the 60th anniversary of EU-South Korea diplomatic relations.

Main results

The summit sent a strong signal of increased cooperation between two like-minded partners.

The leaders took stock of the progress made to advance their strategic partnership and discussed the following issues:

• peace and stability
• economy and trade
• sustainable development

Strengthening cooperation for peace and stability

The EU and South Korea discussed the latest developments related to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

The leaders recalled their unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and its inherent right of self-defence against the Russian aggression.

Since the start of Russia’s war, the EU and its member states have made available around €70 billion to Ukraine and its people. They have also adopted unprecedented measures against Russia.

On North Korea, the leaders repeated their commitment to the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

The EU and South Korea called on all United Nations (UN) members, especially members of the UN Security Council, to take a united and firm stand against North Korea’s illegal weapons programme.

The EU and South Korea also reaffirmed:

• their strong support to multilateralism
• the importance of a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific
• their support to freedom of overflight and navigation, including in the South China Sea

The European Union and the Republic of Korea advance their strategic partnership at annual Joint Committee meeting

Partnership for greater prosperity

The leaders noted with satisfaction the robust and thriving economic relationship, which is based on the South Korea-EU free trade agreement.

In 2022, bilateral trade in goods amounted to €132 billion.

The EU and South Korea agreed to work to improve access to each other’s markets for agri-food products.

The leaders also highlighted:

• the importance of maintaining momentum on labour issues
• their support for the reform of the World Trade Organization
• their cooperation on economic security and addressing supply chain disruptions

Faced with issues on the global energy market, aggravated by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, they acknowledged the need to speed up the energy transition and collaborate to achieve decarbonisation.

They welcomed the launch of the EU-South Korea digital partnership in November 2022.

EU and South Korea agreed to continue and deepen their cooperation on various digital and data protection issues and on industrial competitiveness, notably in the semiconductor industries.

The leaders also welcomed the opening of negotiations on South Korea’s association to Horizon Europe.

Working together for sustainable development

The leaders launched the EU-South Korea green partnership to reinforce their cooperation in transitioning to a net-zero economy.

The EU and South Korea also agreed to cooperate on:

• management of cross-border health problems
• sustainable, efficient, safe and secure transport systems
• education and culture, notably through the Erasmus+ programme

Previous summit

At the previous summit in 2018, EU and South Korean leaders reaffirmed their strong ties and their commitment to strengthen their strategic partnership.

More information: European Council