South Korean president to make state visit to Singapore, with trade and tech on agenda
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PM Lawrence Wong and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during a joint press conference in Seoul on Nov 2, 2025.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
SINGAPORE – South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is making a state visit to Singapore from March 1 to 3, at the invitation of President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
Mr Lee, who took office in June 2025,
The South Korean leader will also meet and be hosted to lunch by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, said Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Feb 28.
During the visit, PM Wong and Mr Lee will witness the exchange of several memorandums of understanding to enhance cooperation in the areas of trade, energy security, science and technology, intellectual property, the environment, and public safety and security.
Mr Lee is accompanied on his visit by First Lady Kim Hea Kyung, as well as Cabinet ministers and senior officials.
During the visit, Mr Lee and the First Lady will have an orchid named in their honour – Vanda Lee Jae Myung Kim Hea Kyung.
Mr Lee’s visit comes four months after PM Wong’s first official trip to South Korea, which followed his participation in the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting, held in the city of Gyeongju.
The MFA said Mr Lee’s visit affirms the strong relations between Singapore and South Korea.
It also “provides a timely opportunity for both sides to review the progress made in the Singapore-ROK (Republic of Korea) Strategic Partnership since its establishment in November 2025”.
The two countries had upgraded relations to a strategic partnership during PM Wong’s visit, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
The strategic partnership sets a road map for deepening and expanding bilateral cooperation in existing and new areas across the five pillars of political, security and public sector cooperation; trade and economic cooperation; sustainability, the green economy and energy transition; advanced technology and research and development; and people-to-people exchange.
In a written press briefing released on Feb 27, South Korea’s presidential spokeswoman Kang Yu-jung described Singapore as a regional hub for transportation, logistics and finance “that plays a leading role in promoting the free trade order in the region”.
Through the visit, South Korea hopes to solidify existing cooperation with Singapore in trade, investment and infrastructure in line with the upgraded relationship, while also expanding cooperation into promising future sectors such as artificial intelligence and nuclear power, she said.
After his trip to Singapore, Mr Lee is slated to travel on to Manila, the Philippines, for a state visit from March 3 to 4.
