Diplomacy Journal l Kayla lee

On April 14, Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin held the 4th South Korea-France Strategic Dialogue with Catherine Colonna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, in Seoul. The two ministers discussed the overall bilateral relationship, cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, and regional and global issues in depth.

The two ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the "comprehensive partnership of the 21st century" between the two countries through concrete cooperation projects in areas such as high-level exchanges, civilian nuclear energy, space, renewable energy, digital technology, aviation, and low-carbon transportation. They also welcomed the signing of the revised memorandum of understanding on the movement of French and Korean businesspeople and trainees, which could serve as a good foundation for economic and personal exchanges between the two countries.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the armistice of the Korean War this year, the two ministers acknowledged the joint efforts of both countries to maintain freedom and peace on the Korean Peninsula. They expressed satisfaction with the close cooperation between the two countries in defense and security through defense strategy dialogues.

Against the backdrop of the increasing importance of economic security, the two ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation in enhancing supply chain resilience and improving technological competitiveness. They also shared the opinion that joint efforts of the public and private sectors should be further strengthened in future strategic industries such as nuclear energy, space, and IT.

The two ministers recognized that South Korea and France share values such as freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in their Indo-Pacific strategies. They also acknowledged that there are many areas of great potential for cooperation in addressing climate change, supporting Pacific Island Countries, and ensuring maritime security. Minister Colonna welcomed the South Korean government's "Free, Open, and Prosperous Indo-Pacific Strategy," and Minister Park praised France's efforts to protect a free and open Indo-Pacific region while respecting international norms as a clearly recognized Indo-Pacific nation. The two ministers agreed on the importance of close cooperation for each country's Indo-Pacific strategy and decided to work together for this purpose.

Finally, the two ministers discussed North Korea's nuclear threat and illegal missile launches, including yesterday's claim of a new solid-fuel ICBM by North Korea