President Yoon Suk-yeol and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier hold a joint press conference after their summit at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

Two presidents vow to work together in supply chain, energy security issues

By Kwon Mee-yoo

President Yoon Suk-yeol and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is visiting Korea for three days, agreed to work closely to thwart North Korea's provocations during a summit held in the presidential office in Seoul, Friday.

Steinmeier is the first European president to visit Korea since Yoon was inaugurated on May 10.

During a joint briefing after the summit, Yoon said he and the German president shared a concern regarding North Korea's repeated missile tests and agreed to work closely to draw a unified response from the international community against North Korea.

"Germany is a country that has experienced division and reunification, so we can learn from Germany in resolving the issues on the Korean Peninsula," Yoon said.

"We also agreed to strengthen cooperation to improve the human rights situation in North Korea."

Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, fourth from left, and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, second from right, hold summit talks at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Friday. Joint Press Corps

Steinmeier noted that North Korea has been firing missiles with unprecedented frequency, escalating tensions in the region from the beginning of this year.

"We can clearly state that these tensions are unacceptable. Only the Pyongyang regime is solely responsible for the situation," Steinmeier said.

The German president also mentioned the Yoon administration's "audacious initiative" to entice North Korea to denuclearize with various supports, saying that he respects South Korea's efforts for discussions on denuclearization.

The two presidents also agreed to cooperate to bolster economic security.

Germany is Korea's largest trading partner among the European Union countries with a total of $33.1 billion in trade in 2021, up 9.2 percent from the previous year.

Yoon emphasized that economic cooperation between Korea and Germany is now expanding to industries of the future such as hydrogen and the digital transformation.

"Recently, more German companies in the fields of semiconductor and other high-tech industries are increasing their investments in Korea," Yoon said.

Yoon added that the two countries decided to strengthen their cooperation in economic security to build a stable supply chain and promote energy security.

"I expressed concerns over the move to strengthen protectionism in Europe and asked Germany, a key EU country, to ensure that there are no discriminatory measures against Korean companies," Yoon said.

Steinmeier highlighted the importance of economic security and diversification as the two sides discussed strengthening the resilience of supply chains and reducing dependence on a certain country.

The two presidents also voiced continuous support for Ukraine.

"A close partnership is more important in an era when Russia has invaded Ukraine," Steinmeier said.

Steinmeier also invited Yoon to visit Germany next year on the occasion of the 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, left, and his wife, Elke Budenbender, pay tribute to the victims of the Itaewon crowd crush that took place in Seoul last weekend at a memorial altar in Seoul Plaza, Friday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Before their meeting, the presidents paid a silent tribute to the victims of the crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood on Oct. 29.

Earlier in the day, Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Budenbender, paid tribute to the victims of the Itaewon tragedy. They visited the memorial altar in Seoul Plaza and offered condolences to the victims and families.

"I offer my condolences to the families of victims who have lost loved ones," Steinmeier said. "True friendship shares not only good times but also sorrows. We stand with Korea in this tragic moment and we support (Korea)."