EU, South Korea Forge Deeper Security Ties
At the 11th EU-South Korea Summit held in Brussels, European Council President Antonio Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung agreed to launch negotiations on a Security of Information Agreement — a pact intended to enable the safe exchange of classified intelligence between the two sides.
"Our security is more interconnected than ever," von der Leyen said, citing the deployment of North Korean troops alongside Russian forces in Ukraine as concrete evidence that regional developments increasingly carry cross-continental consequences.
She commended Seoul for its backing of Ukraine, describing South Korea as "one of Europe's closest partners in the Indo-Pacific region and on the global stage."
Von der Leyen added that the two partners would coordinate efforts to bolster economic resilience, secure supply chains for critical raw materials, and shield sensitive technologies from external threats.
South Korean President Lee echoed that assessment, warning that uncertainties in the international order are accelerating the convergence of security dynamics across the two regions.
"We agreed to begin negotiations on a security of information agreement to strengthen bilateral security and defense cooperation with growing uncertainties in the international order," Lee said, expressing hope that the accord would be adopted soon to enable the safe sharing of confidential information.
Lee also urged the EU to maintain sustained pressure on North Korea's nuclear ambitions and to actively support efforts toward lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Costa described the EU and South Korea as "trusted strategic partners and friends" bound by shared commitments to democracy, the rule of law, multilateralism, and a rules-based international order.
"I believe we agree that we cannot allow any state to use military aggression to threaten the peace, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of any country. Otherwise, the global order would collapse into chaos," he said.
The leaders also agreed to establish a new competitiveness partnership alongside a high-level economic dialogue spanning trade, investment, industrial policy, economic security, and artificial intelligence.
On the digital front, both sides signed a landmark Digital Trade Agreement designed to strengthen data flows, expand e-commerce, and deepen broader digital economic integration.
Energy security also featured prominently on the summit agenda, with both parties agreeing to scale up collaboration in hydrogen, offshore wind, and nuclear energy — including small modular reactors — backed by a newly created high-level energy dialogue.
Rounding out the talks, leaders addressed a broad range of pressing regional and global security concerns, encompassing the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and the continuing war in Ukraine.
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