By Lee Jon-young

President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is in New York for the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held his first summit with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the afternoon of September 20.

During the meeting, President Yoon requested Israel's support for the 2030 Busan World Expo and exchanged views on the development of bilateral relations.

Yoon noted that the Korea-Israel Free Trade Agreement, which came into effect in December last year, is significant as it is the first free trade agreement South Korea has signed with a Middle Eastern country, and that the two countries are also working closely together in areas of technological cooperation such as artificial intelligence and alternative energy. 

President Yoon also called for Prime Minister Netanyahu's special attention and support for Korean companies with excellent technologies to participate in Israel's transportation infrastructure expansion project.

Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his pleasure that Israel and South Korea are expanding bilateral relations based on active economic cooperation, and called for further cooperation in new industries such as robotics, smart mobility, bio, and quantum.

The two leaders agreed that the two countries, which share the values of liberal democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, will continue to promote joint research in the field of future innovation and explore defense cooperation in various fields such as missile defense and cybersecurity.

The two leaders used the meeting as an opportunity to further enhance bilateral exchanges and continue to identify cooperative projects that benefit both economies.