S’pore and South Korea to elevate bilateral relationship to strategic partnership by 2025

PM Wong made the announcement in a joint press conference with President Yoon Suk Yeol. 

Singapore’s Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong and President of the Republic of Korea Yoon Suk Yeol have agreed to elevate their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership by 2025, which aims to expand cooperation in areas like defense, education, climate change, artificial intelligence (AI), and cybersecurity, as well as the digital and green economy.

“This will also be a timely milestone for both our countries because 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties,” said Wong. 
 
Wong made the announcement in a joint press conference with Yoon Suk Yeol on 8 October, who was on his first visit to Singapore. 

Five memoranda of understandings (MOUs) and agreements were also witnessed in areas covering supply chains, food safety, LNG procurement, technological cooperation, start-ups, and the signing of an extradition treaty.

Key initiatives were also made, including the upgrading of the Korea-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (KSFTA) to better meet the needs of our economies in today’s digital age and expanding the Air Services Agreement (ASA) to strengthen connectivity in response to the strong demand for air travel.

Aside from this, Wong and Yoon have also discussed Korea’s relations with ASEAN, which marks the 35th anniversary of ASEAN-ROK dialogue relations.

“We will continue to work closely to further enhance ASEAN-ROK relations, including at our discussions in Laos later this week,” said Wong.