President Yoon Suk Yeol meets Irish PM for bilateral summit

President Yoon Suk Yeol held a bilateral summit with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at the Yongsan presidential office in Seoul on Friday to discuss strengthening the economic partnership between the two countries.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, shakes hands with Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at a bilateral summit at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on Friday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol held a bilateral summit with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at the Yongsan presidential office in Seoul on Friday to discuss strengthening the economic partnership between the two countries.

The summit comes as Korea and Ireland mark their 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year.

The two sides "exchanged opinions on bilateral relations, ways to strengthen substantive cooperation in each field and the regional and international situation," the presidential office said in a statement.

Varadkar, who took office as Ireland's Taoiseach in December last year, began a two-day working visit to Korea in an effort to deepen relations with the Asia-Pacific region, on Thursday.

Yoon said he hopes that Varadkar's visit will "lead to a dramatic increase in trade and investment between the two countries," encouraging the expansion of cooperation in areas where both countries share strengths, such as the biotechnology industry.

He also expressed hopes that exchanges between youths of the two countries will become more active based on their recently revised working holiday memorandum of understanding.

Varadkar said he supports the South Korean government's efforts toward North Korea's denuclearization while strictly responding to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, said Yoon's office.

The two leaders also agreed to continue providing support and solidarity to Ukraine and discussed the situation in the Middle East.

Yoon noted that Ireland is a "friendly country that shares the universal values of freedom, human rights and the rule of law," said his office.

Key areas of cooperation between the two countries include trade, investment, global security, climate change and education.

Officials including National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han and Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo flanked Yoon during the summit. Michelle Winthrop, the Irish ambassador to Korea, and Helen Blake, Irish assistant secretary for the EU and International Division, accompanied Varadkar.

Yoon wore an orange tie to match the Irish flag.

Earlier Friday morning, Varadkar paid tribute to Irish soldiers and civilians who died in the 1950-53 Korean War at the War Memorial of Korea in central Seoul.

Varadkar visited the demilitarized zone (DMZ) at the inter-Korean border on Thursday, accompanied by Minister for Enterprise, Trade, and Employment Simon Coveney, Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue, and Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris.

He shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the DMZ is "a legacy of the Cold War" and a "great example of UN, U.S. and South Korean peacekeeping cooperation, but a sad reminder of how the peninsula remains divided."

Varadkar also met with executives from Korean companies who have invested in Ireland.

The meeting marks the first bilateral visit to Korea by an Irish leader since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1983.

Varadkar told Arirang in an interview Friday that, "Korea is at the forefront in terms of making a green transition toward renewable energy and battery storage."

He said that Ireland has "very ambitious plans to increase the amount of renewable energy we produce," noting that half of all cars that are currently sold in Ireland are either electric vehicles or hybrids.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]