President Lee Jae-myung said on the 2nd (local time) after holding a summit with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong that "the two leaders agreed that they hope stability and peace in the Middle East will be restored."
President Lee, who is on a state visit to Singapore, said this in a joint press announcement at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building right after the summit, noting, "Prime Minister Wong and I discussed the recent situation in the Middle East during the talks. We also assessed the impact of the Middle East situation on global security, energy supply chains, and the global economy," and stated accordingly.
Recently in the Middle East, tensions have been rising, including the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. The Korean government is operating a 24-hour emergency response system led by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok.
Lee also brought up peace on the Korean Peninsula and U.S.-North Korea dialogue. Noting that Singapore was the site of the historic 2018 U.S.-North Korea summit, Lee said, "Eight years ago, Singapore demonstrated outstanding diplomacy toward peace through leadership of dialogue and communication."
Lee added, "I would like to express my deep gratitude to Prime Minister Wong for actively supporting our government's efforts for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and for the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue," and said, "I believe you will play a constructive role for peace on the peninsula and in the region."
He also mentioned the development of exchanges and cooperation between the two countries. Lee said, "It is meaningful that the two countries held a summit in four months," adding, "The two countries have shown the resilience to grow into exemplary middle powers by using limited resources and geopolitical challenges as a springboard for development. Even in the era of extreme uncertainty in the early 21st century, we are reliable partners."
He continued, "The two countries, which have led the regional free trade order, will launch negotiations to upgrade the free trade agreement (FTA)," and said, "We will improve the FTA in a way that reflects changes in the trade and economic security environment and technological development." He also said, "The Korea Development Bank and 'Seviora,' the asset management group of Singapore's sovereign wealth funds 'Temasek,' signed an investment memorandum of understanding (MOU), taking the lead in investment cooperation."
On artificial intelligence (AI), a key area of cooperation, he said, "The two countries will push to conclude an 'AI cooperation framework' as a stepping stone to implement the vision of 'AI for all.'" On security, he said, "We agreed to expand joint research on defense industry technology and to steadily discuss ways to strengthen defense capabilities," adding, "We will also strengthen cooperation in responding to transnational crimes such as online scams and cyber threats."
Recalling the "CSP vision," which stands for "Contributor who fulfills dreams and hopes, Springboard for growth and innovation, and Partner for peace and stability," released at last year's Korea-ASEAN summit, Lee also pledged, "Together with Singapore, we will fully implement the CSP vision. We will actively support the activities of Singapore, which will chair ASEAN next year."