German Chancellor Merz to Visit South Korea on 29th for Summit

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will make an official two-day visit to South Korea starting on the 29th for a summit with President Lee Jae-myung. Presidential Chief Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung announced the visit at a written briefing on the 23rd. The visit is aimed at attending the 19th German Asia-Pacific Business Conference in Seoul, a meeting where Korean and German companies discuss trade, investment, and other cooperation matters. It marks the first solo visit to South Korea by a German chancellor in three years, and the first since Merz took office.

The Korea-Germany summit comes about four months after the two leaders held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian, France, in June 2026. On the afternoon of the 29th, President Lee will hold a summit with Chancellor Merz, followed by a joint press announcement and an official dinner. Kang said this will be the third meeting between the two leaders since Merz took office.

"The summit will cover economic cooperation including trade and investment, cooperation in future industries such as batteries, semiconductors, and AI, defense and defense industry cooperation, expanded people-to-people exchanges, and regional situations and international issues," Kang said. Germany is South Korea's largest trading partner in Europe, with more than 850 Korean companies operating there. "We hope this will serve as an opportunity for the two countries' relations to leap forward in a strategic and future-oriented direction," Kang added.