State Visit of the President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung, 1 to 3 March 2026

President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Jae Myung received a ceremonial welcome at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this morning and called on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam. He also met with Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong. Prime Minister Wong and Mrs Wong hosted President Lee and First Lady Kim Hea Kyung to lunch. A new orchid hybrid, the Vanda Lee Jae Myung Kim Hea Kyung, was named in honour of President Lee and First Lady Kim.

President Tharman and President Lee affirmed the excellent state of bilateral relations, and rapidly growing economic, cultural and people-to-people exchanges. They noted the potential to deepen collaboration and exchanges in areas such as artificial intelligence and its application to healthcare, finance, logistics, and advanced manufacturing. They also discussed shared challenges, including AI governance and the demographic challenges that both Singapore and South Korea face.

Prime Minister Wong and President Lee took stock of the good progress made under the Singapore-ROK Strategic Partnership, with concrete outcomes in trade, energy, and the digital and green economies. They welcomed the timely agreement to upgrade the Korea-Singapore Free Trade Agreement to ensure that it remains relevant and mutually beneficial. They noted the good progress in ongoing negotiations on a bilateral Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, and looked forward to the swift conclusion of negotiations. They agreed to explore developing frameworks to deepen bilateral cooperation in AI, digital issues, and cybersecurity. They also discussed the importance of strengthening air connectivity to facilitate growing travel demand. Both leaders agreed to continue leveraging the Strategic Partnership to bring tangible benefits for the peoples and businesses of Singapore and the ROK.

Prime Minister Wong and President Lee also discussed regional and international developments, including the importance of working together to uphold free trade and the rules-based international order. Prime Minister Wong welcomed President Lee’s vision to advance the ASEAN-ROK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Both leaders looked forward to the commencement of negotiations to upgrade the ASEAN-Korea Free Trade Area in April 2026. As the country coordinator for ASEAN-ROK economic relations, Singapore is committed to facilitate and deliver a meaningful and substantive upgrade. They also agreed on the need for constructive dialogue to promote peace, stability, and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

Prime Minister Wong and President Lee witnessed the announcement of the Joint Statement on the Launch of the Negotiations to upgrade the KSFTA, and the exchange of five other Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) to enhance cooperation in the areas of civil nuclear energy, science and technology, Intellectual Property, digital technology in public safety and security, and the environment. These agreements reflect the breadth and depth of the Strategic Partnership. The list of agreements is at Annex.

President Tharman and Mrs Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam will host a State Banquet in honour of President Lee and First Lady Kim this evening.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

2 MARCH 2026

Annex: List of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and Agreements

Joint Statement on the launch of negotiations on the KSFTA Upgrade

MOU on Science and Technology Cooperation

MOU on Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence and enabling Digital Technologies for Public Safety

MOU on Enhanced Cooperation in the field of Intellectual Property (IP)

Extension of the MOU on Space & Geospatial Information for Environmental and Pollution Issues

MOU on Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperation