German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will pay an official visit to South Korea from Oct. 29 to 30 and hold a summit with President Lee Jae-myung. It is his first trip to Korea since taking office and the first bilateral official visit by a German chancellor in three years.
According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun, presidential spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung announced the schedule at a briefing on Oct. 23. The two leaders will hold talks on the afternoon of Oct. 29, followed by a joint press announcement and an official dinner. It will be Merz's first visit to Korea as chancellor.
광고 문의 · 300×250The trip coincides with the 19th German Asia-Pacific Business Conference (APK), which opens in Seoul on Oct. 29. The APK is one of Germany's largest public-private economic events and aims to expand cooperation between Germany and the Asia-Pacific. Korea last hosted it in 2007, making this the first time in 19 years.
Reunion after four months, third meeting
The leaders last met about four months ago at the Group of Seven summit in Evian, France, in June. This will be their third meeting, after the G20 summit in November 2025 and the June G7. The presidential office sees the quick succession of meetings as a sign of closer ties.
Kang said Germany is Korea's largest trading partner in Europe. About 850 Korean companies operate in Germany, and major conglomerates run regional headquarters there. She called Germany a core cooperation partner for Korea.
Future industries, defense and exchanges on the agenda
The agenda announced by the presidential office covers economic cooperation including trade and investment, and future industries such as batteries, semiconductors and artificial intelligence. Defense cooperation, wider people-to-people exchanges, regional affairs and global issues will also be discussed. Whether any agreements or memorandums will be signed has not been confirmed.
Kang said she hoped the talks would move relations a step forward in a strategic and future-oriented direction. As of the announcement, no official German statement or size of an accompanying business delegation had been confirmed. With both countries seeking to diversify supply chains, economic outcomes are drawing attention.