A presidential official said Seoul is “considering participation while taking into account diplomatic schedules and domestic and international circumstances.”
“France conveyed its intention to invite South Korea to this year’s G7 summit during close consultations between the two sides,” the official said.
France, which holds the rotating G7 presidency this year, plans to host the summit in Evian in June and has invited leaders from South Korea, India, Brazil and Kenya, according to local media reports including AFP, citing a statement from the French presidency released Thursday.
The G7 comprises the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada, with the presidency rotating annually among member states. The chair country can invite non-member nations and international organizations to expanded sessions.
South Korea has previously been invited to G7 meetings hosted by the United Kingdom in 2021, Japan in 2023 and Canada last year.
French officials also said Paris had initially planned to invite China to the summit, but Beijing declined the invitation. France is expected to engage with China separately.
France had planned to focus on global economic imbalances, but the Iran conflict could reshape the agenda, officials said, adding that the situation remained uncertain.
It remains unclear whether U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the summit.
Meanwhile, South Africa claimed it had been excluded from the summit due to U.S. pressure. Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for South Africa’s presidency, said France had withdrawn an invitation following “sustained pressure.”
Magwenya said South Africa would not attend the summit.
Trump has criticized South Africa over its land expropriation law, calling it discriminatory against white farmers. He also skipped the G20 summit there last November and called for the country’s removal from the grouping.
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