Presidents Klaus Iohannis and Yoon Suk Yeol today adopted the ‘Joint Declaration on Strengthening the Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Korea and Romania’

On Tuesday, April 23, the President of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Yoon Suk Yeol, had a meeting with the President of Romania, Mr. Klaus Werner Iohannis, on the occasion of the official visit of the President of Romania to the Republic of Korea. On this occasion, the two officials had substantial discussions on various topics, such as the ways to substantially promote cooperation between the two countries and major international issues of interest.

In 2023, marking the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Korea and Romania, the two leaders noted that the bilateral relationship between the two countries has strengthened on various levels and today adopted the ‘Joint Declaration on Strengthening the Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Korea and Romania’, aiming to establish the direction of cooperation in a strategic and future-oriented manner, in accordance with the new political and economic environment we find ourselves in.

‘Today, I had substantial discussions with President Yoon Suk Yeol, to whom I thanked for the invitation to visit South Korea, at an important time globally, regionally, and bilaterally. The current global crises require increased efforts to defend the international order based on rules from all of us who share a common vision, regardless of the geographical area we are in. Our strategic partnership has concrete results in numerous areas, from economics to investments, infrastructure, defense, or the energy sector. Considering all this, together with the Korean President, we adopted today the ‘Joint Declaration on Strengthening the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the Republic of Korea’, which sets the main directions of cooperation for the next 10 years, for the benefit of our countries and citizens,’ said President Klaus Iohannis during his visit to the Republic of Korea.

The two officials appreciated the constant growth in trade between the Republic of Korea and Romania, reaching a record level last year. Also, it was agreed that based on the ‘Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of Romania on cooperation in the field of defense’, signed during the official visit, the foundations for an optimal partnership in the defense industry would be laid, by promoting exchanges of experience and training and technological cooperation in defense between the two countries. The President of the Republic of Korea highlighted that, following the export of Chiron systems at the end of last year, discussions continue regarding cooperation in the defense industry and hopes that the Republic of Korea, a strategic partner of Romania, will actively contribute to the Romanian Army’s armament plan. In this dialogue, the President of Romania mentioned that the importance of cooperation between the two countries in the defense industry is influenced by the current geopolitical and security situation, and in this sense, he seriously encourages advancing defense cooperation with the Republic of Korea.

The two leaders also exchanged views on cooperation between the two countries in the field of nuclear energy, referring to the ‘Tritium Removal Facility Project’ and discussed various measures of cooperation in the field, such as the retrofit project and the construction of Small Modular Reactors – SMR, agreeing to continue cooperation through the signing of the memorandum of cooperation in the field of nuclear energy during the visit. Moreover, the two supported cooperation in the field of renewable energy and carbon-free energy, including nuclear energy, with the Romanian side expressing openness to the South Korean initiative called ‘Carbon-Free Energy’.

‘Equally, we are excited to cooperate with our partners in developing, manufacturing, and using small modular reactor technology, to take concrete steps in fulfilling Romania’s goal of becoming a hub in the field,‘ said the head of state, mentioning that on Wednesday he will visit the production complex of Doosan Enerbility in Changwon, to deepen aspects regarding opportunities in the field of green energy.

Furthermore, the two Presidents agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas such as port infrastructure, economic security, cybersecurity, culture and art, human exchanges, and cooperation in emergency situations.

The two leaders condemned the ongoing provocations of North Korea and the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea and agreed to cooperate closely with the international community to promote the denuclearization of North Korea and human rights. Additionally, the two officials agreed on the importance of cooperation between the Republic of Korea and Europe in the constantly changing international context and agreed to work together to strengthen cooperation between the Republic of Korea and partners in the Indo-Pacific and North Atlantic Alliance. Equally, they agreed to continue cooperation in humanitarian assistance and the reconstruction process in Ukraine.

Iohannis: I have high expectations from the collaboration between universities

The President argued that it would be good for our country to develop to the level of South Korea, and that he has high hopes regarding the strengthening of the Strategic Partnership and the agreements signed on Tuesday.

‘Yes, it would be good for Romania to reach in Europe the level that South Korea has reached in Asia. Today I agreed with my counterpart on several collaborations, and you saw that agreements were also signed between actors. The fact is that this relationship with South Korea is evolving very well and I believe we have a real chance for this collaboration in the nuclear field to actually help us effectively become pioneers on small modular reactors in our region, but there are also many other areas where collaboration can create jobs and bring technology to Romania, for example in the defense industry. But I have high expectations from the collaboration between universities, collaboration on cyber and many others. I have noticed a real interest here in South Korea, and I can certainly say that we have moved beyond declaring good intentions and I am already expecting very concrete results from this relationship. So, yes, it can indeed help Romania,’ said the head of state, when asked to what extent the consolidation of the strategic partnership and the agreements signed on Tuesday can contribute to the development of Romania to the level of South Korea and whether Romania can hope to become in Europe an investment research hub at the level of South Korea.

At the end of the meeting, the two heads of state participated in the signing ceremony of some relevant documents, at the ministerial level.”