Joint statement between the President of the French Republic and the President of the Republic of Korea.

Building on the long history of diplomatic relations established in 1886, reaffirmed in 2004 as part of a comprehensive partnership for the twenty-first century, the President of the French Republic, Mr. Emmanuel Macron, and the President of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Lee Jae Myung, agreed to raise the level of the bilateral relationship to a “Global Strategic Partnership”, on the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the French Republic and the Republic of Korea, and the visit of President Macron to the Republic of Korea on 2 and 3 April 2026. This renewed strategic partnership is based on the following common priorities.

DEEPENING POLITICAL, DEFENCE AND SECURITY COOPERATION BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES

The French Republic and the Republic of Korea will develop their regular high-level exchanges and contacts, through all bilateral and multilateral channels, and will broaden the scope and raise the level of bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

In the area of security and defence, the French Republic and the Republic of Korea share a common will to contributing to stability, security and prosperity in their respective regions and beyond. They are committed to deepening their defence relations by pursuing regular strategic exchanges, improving interoperability between their armed forces and strengthening information exchanges. To this end, they shared a common view to renew and further develop the arrangements underpinning their cooperation and to seize various opportunities to interact between their armed forces, in a bilateral or multilateral framework, with their allies and partners. The update of the Agreement on the exchange of classified information in the field of defence and the planned stopover in Korea of the French air mission PEGASE in Fall 2026 illustrate this joint effort. They will strengthen defence industry cooperation that are of mutual interest to both countries, with a view to strengthening their national industrial and technological defence bases. They will continue to enrich the historical and memorial cooperation, a pillar of the defence relationship, in particular around the commemoration of the commitment of the French Battalion during the Korean War, whose memory both countries strive to keep alive. They underline the importance of the Security and Defence Partnership signed in November 2024 between the European Union and the Republic of Korea, which establishes in-depth cooperation on common security issues.

The French Republic and the Republic of Korea will promote cooperation and training in safety matters, including through regional initiatives, in particular in the maritime and port areas. The French Republic welcomes the intention of the Republic of Korea to explore avenues for cooperation on port safety capacity-building in the Indo-Pacific region. They will strengthen the exchange of information in the fight against crime, including online violence, in particular non-consensual sexual images and deepfakes that disproportionately affect women and girls, as well as the development of “scam centres”. They will share their best practices in platform regulation, content removal, legislation, and victim support, and will support research and cooperation projects to combat the proliferation of this violence. They will also develop cooperation in civil protection, strengthening rescue capacities and fighting forest fires.

STRENGTHENING ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRADE AND INNOVATION EXCHANGES

The French Republic and the Republic of Korea reaffirm their determination to make their economic and trade cooperation a strategic pillar of their bilateral relationship. They reiterate the importance of continuing the full implementation of the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Korea, in particular with regard to market access, intellectual property protection and sustainable development.  They welcome the recent cross-investments and decide to strengthen this momentum by working towards a transparent, stable and predictable business climate.

The French Republic and the Republic of Korea will expand their cooperation in the field of critical minerals and metals and welcome the signing of a letter of intent to this end.  They will explore opportunities for the development of joint projects across the value chain and strengthen institutional cooperation on knowledge and valorization of mining resources. They will promote sustainable mining activities and strengthen synergies in research and training.

The French Republic and the Republic of Korea share a desire to forge new partnerships for the future in areas with high potential for joint development in innovation, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and semiconductors. They will deepen their strategic cooperation, particularly in terms of knowledge of local ecosystems, development of partnerships between French and Korean companies or strengthening synergies in research and training, such as the joint calls launched by the National Research Agency and the National Research Foundation on biotechnologies using artificial intelligence. They welcome the signing of a letter of intent on the topic of Artificial Intelligence, Semiconductors and Quantum Technology.

In the field of energy, the French Republic and the Republic of Korea reaffirm the importance of setting new horizons for bilateral cooperation, through converging energy policies, aiming at decarbonizing the energy mix through nuclear power, renewable energies with suitable storage means and the use of clean hydrogen, in order to achieve their joint objective of carbon neutrality by 2050. Regarding civil nuclear power, they will cooperate closely, in compliance with their common commitments on non-proliferation and in compliance with IAEA safeguards, to address the issues of safety and radiation protection, the fuel cycle including spent fuel management, power modulation of reactors, adaptation of electricity networks, extending lifespan of reactors, nuclear instrumentation and decommissioning. In the field of research and development, they wish to cooperate on work related to the Generation IV reactor technology, in particular within the framework of the partnership between CEA and KAERI. In the field of fusion, they reaffirm their commitment to ITER and wish to strengthen their bilateral research cooperation through their WEST (CEA) and KSTAR (KFE) facilities. With regard to other decarbonised energies, they have similar ambitions in terms of offshore wind deployment and intend to strengthen their cooperation in this sector as well as in the fields of electricity transmission and distribution.

The French Republic and the Republic of Korea stress the importance of cooperation in the space field. The framework agreement between CNES and KASA, signed at the end of 2025, can be implemented both in institutional terms (exploration, sustainability of space activities) and in industrial and commercial terms (launching services, satellites, equipment, space applications). They reaffirmed the importance of enhanced cooperation in the field of civil aviation and welcomed the progress made in finalizing the Protocol amending the 1974 Air Services Agreement.

The French Republic and the Republic of Korea will seek to strengthen their scientific cooperation and welcome the meeting of the Joint Commission on Science and Technology which sets out a new roadmap, common research priorities and encourages researcher mobility. They welcome the Republic of Korea’s recent association within the European Union’s framework programme for research and innovation, Horizon Europe, which opens up new opportunities for cooperation and contributes to the development of scientific exchanges.

DEEPENING MULTILATERAL COOPERATION ON CLIMATE CHANGE, DEVELOPMENT, BIODIVERSITY AND HEALTH

Following on from the Third United Nations Ocean Conference held in Nice in June 2025, the entry into force of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) in January 2026 and in view of the organization by the Republic of Korea of the Fourth United Nations Ocean Conference in 2028, the French Republic and the Republic of Korea will strengthen their cooperation in the maritime field and the protection of the Ocean.

The French Republic and the Republic of Korea reaffirm their commitment to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation to address the worsening effects of climate change, underlining the central role of science as a foundation for climate action, as well as for the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement and their Nationally Determined Contributions. They also express their willingness to promote enhanced international cooperation, in the fields of adaptation, disaster risk reduction, renewable energies, just transition away from fossil fuels as well as climate finance at the global level in order to contribute to sustainable and resilient development. They will strengthen their cooperation on biodiversity conservation, in particular to achieve the 30x30 target of the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework. They will engage in structuring cooperation with renewed partnerships, in third countries, between the French Development Agency, the Korea International Cooperation Agency and the Korea Export-Import Bank respectively. The French Republic and the Republic of Korea affirm the need to conclude and implement a legally binding, ambitious and effective international instrument to end plastic pollution, which takes into account the entire life cycle of plastics, from production to waste management.

Sharing values and goals in the field of global health, the French Republic and the Republic of Korea will strengthen their cooperation on common priorities such as the “One Health” approach and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response with institutions such as the Pasteur Institute of Korea, will continue to support the organizations in which they participate. This includes access to innovation in the health sector, by supporting Unitaid and International Vaccine Institute (IVI).

STRENGTHENING CULTURAL COOPERATION AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE EXCHANGES

The French Republic and the Republic of Korea reaffirm their commitment to people-to-people exchanges as the basis of their bilateral relationship and of mutual understanding between their two societies. They share the conviction that culture is an essential pillar of democratic resilience and a major vector of influence and dialogue. With a deep and mutual respect for their heritages and contemporary creations, they took note of the early establishment of close cultural ties, based on exchange and innovation.

The French Republic and the Republic of Korea have decided to give this partnership a new dimension, through the conclusion of a Protocol Amending the Agreement on Cultural and Technological Cooperation signed. They have the ambition to sustainably deepen the links between their cultural and creative industries. They intend to offer their artists, creators, cultural professionals and cultural institutions increased opportunities for artist residencies, immersive works, co-creation and exhibitions in their respective countries. Facing deep changes and challenges in terms of technology and business models that affect models of creation and dissemination on a global scale, they share the importance of jointly carrying an agenda of solutions to contemporary challenges, and, in this perspective, France and the Republic of Korea will co-chair  the Moving Image Summit, a structuring space for dialogue, proposals and commitments that will held in France on September 7, 2026

The French Republic and the Republic of Korea wish to intensify student and academic mobility, particularly in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. They intend to promote cooperation between their higher education institutions, while expanding the offer of language learning in their respective languages. In this spirit, they will support and develop French and Korean language courses, promoting the activities of their language centres and educational networks and setting up a language assistant program. In this regard, they welcome the amendment of the Working Holiday Programme Agreement, which will expand the eligible age limit for participants and standardise the regulatory framework for work authorisation.

STRENGTHENING STRATEGIC CONVERGENCE IN THE FACE OF INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGES

The French Republic and the Republic of Korea underline the essential role of multilateralism in which the United Nations occupies a central place and reaffirm their commitment to the Charter of the United Nations, and emphasize the need to respect and promote human rights and fundamental freedoms. They are determined to strengthen their cooperation on major international crises.

In the Middle-East, the French Republic and the Republic of Korea express their deep concern about recent attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations and unarmed disruption of global energy supply chain. In this regard, they will work closely with countries in the region towards de-escalation, in order to find a political settlement that guarantees regional peace and security for all within the framework set by UN Security Council resolutions and international law. They expressed their commitment to freedom of navigation in the sea lanes essential to the world economy, including the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea.

As Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine enters its fifth year, the French Republic and the Republic of Korea stressed the importance of a full ceasefire. They reaffirmed the need for a just and lasting peace, in line with the principle of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, including independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, which takes into account the necessity to preserve the long-term security of Ukraine. They announced that they will continue to provide humanitarian aid and support to the Ukrainian population. They called for respect for international humanitarian law and an immediate halt to the illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

The President of the French Republic invited his counterpart to take part in the forthcoming G7 summit, which will be hosted by the French Republic, and invited the Republic of Korea to participate actively in the discussions and preparatory work on correcting global macroeconomic imbalances and defining a new model of international partnerships and solidarity. The President of the Republic of Korea recalled Korea’s long-standing partnership with the G7 and its commitment to contribute constructively to international discussions and responses to financing for development, economic security and environmental protection. They agreed to strengthen the ROK-G7 Partnership and to work closely together on key global agendas, including global excessive macroeconomic imbalances, international partnerships and solidarity. They further expressed their anticipation for discussion at the G7 level on key issues, including a secure digital space for future generations, maritime security, critical mineral supply chains, impact of social network on young people and access to reliable information in the face of changes arising from generative artificial intelligence.

They are convinced that the participation of the Republic of Korea will strengthen collective efforts to address global challenges, and promote a more balanced, cooperative and resilient international order.

The French Republic and the Republic of Korea will exert efforts to contribute to making the Indo-Pacific a free, safe and open region, committed to the protection of the ocean, including through the fight against climate change and the preservation of biodiversity, and will help strengthen regional connectivity through infrastructure development and people-to-people exchanges. They will promote respect for international law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and remain opposed to coercion or destabilizing action including foreign interference.  

They reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and to their full and effective implementation. France supports the ROK’s efforts to resume inter-Korean dialogue through proactive de-escalation and confidence-building measures, aiming to achieve peaceful coexistence and shared growth on the Korean Peninsula by expanding inter-Korean exchanges, normalization of relations, and achieving denuclearization in a phased manner.