By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

President Lee Jae-myung stated during a summit meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that he hopes it will be “a good opportunity to strengthen the cooperative relationship between the two countries.”

President Lee, who is visiting Canada for the G7 Summit, made the statement during a meeting with Prime Minister Starmer on the afternoon of June 17 (local time).

President Lee said, “I hope this will be a good opportunity to further strengthen the existing cooperative relationship between the UK and South Korea,” adding, “I think there needs to be more progress on the issue of revising the FTA (Free Trade Agreement).”

The South Korean government and the UK are currently in talks to improve the FTA, focusing on trade agreements, supply chains, and digital trade. After the UK left the European Union (EU), the South Korean government and the UK concluded an FTA between South Korea and the UK that is on par with the South Korea-EU FTA.

Prior to President Lee's remarks, Prime Minister Starmer congratulated President Lee on his election and said, “I look forward to working with the president.” He added, “We have already established a strong partnership and hope to further strengthen it,” adding, “This applies to trade and the economy, especially the modernization of our free trade agreement.”

He also said, “In terms of defense and security, we are grateful for your cooperation with Ukraine, and we believe there are more opportunities for us.”