President Lee visits Singapore on a state visit
Meets with Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam
President Lee: “We both achieved growth and development through human investment”
“Further cement and develop beneficial relations between Singapore and South Korea”
President Tharman: “As friendly nations, we must strengthen the relationship between South Korea and Singapore”
President Lee Jae-myung stated that he has long been interested in Singapore’s real estate policies since his time as the mayor of Seongnam, and he hopes to learn more during his state visit to Singapore. During his official visit, which included a welcoming ceremony and an orchid naming event, President Lee met with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and highlighted the similarities between South Korea and Singapore, including their economic growth despite limited land and resources.
President Lee emphasized that both countries have attained growth through investments in human resources and expressed confidence that the two nations can expand and enhance their cooperative relationship. He noted the impressive integrity and capabilities of Singapore’s public sector, which minimizes opportunities for corruption, as another area South Korea can learn from.
President Lee also mentioned South Korea’s focus on investing in future advanced technologies such as AI, and observed that Singapore is already advanced in the AI field, presenting many opportunities for collaboration in AI and electric power sectors. Furthermore, he acknowledged President Tharman’s expertise in economics and expressed a desire to learn from his insights.
In response, President Tharman echoed the sentiment of strengthening cooperation between the two countries, noting the significance of President Lee visiting Singapore as his first Southeast Asian destination since elevating their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership. He expressed hope that their meeting would deepen ties and lead to substantive discussions.
President Tharman highlighted that although South Korea and Singapore were good friends a decade ago, recent years have seen a rapid acceleration in trade, investment, research and development, and cultural exchanges. This growing relationship is particularly important in today’s unpredictable global environment, and he stressed the importance of further strengthening these ties to contribute to a new Asian structure and a stable global order.