President Lee Jae-myung stated on September 24 that he hopes the two countries will open a new chapter in their strategic partnership based on the discussions and agreements made during their summit.
Following a meeting with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at the presidential palace in Mexico City, President Lee emphasized, "In the uncertain international situation where global supply chains are being restructured, Mexico, as one of the world's top ten economies and a key hub in global supply chains, is a very important strategic partner for South Korea."
The two nations adopted the '2026-2030 Korea-Mexico Joint Action Plan' and agreed to expand cooperation in areas such as trade, development cooperation, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technology, aerospace and defense, culture and education, public safety, and agriculture.
Regarding the Korean Peninsula issue, President Lee noted, "President Sheinbaum has shown clear support and willingness to cooperate with our policy of peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula," adding that the two countries will continue to work closely together for peace and stability in the international community, including the Korean Peninsula.
Below is the full text of President Lee's joint press statement with Mexico.
Esteemed President Sheinbaum and the people of Mexico,
I sincerely thank you for the warm welcome extended to me and our delegation here at the presidential palace, a place where the long history of Mexico, from the ancient Aztecs to the present, comes alive, on this significant day.
In the uncertain international situation where global supply chains are being restructured, Mexico, as one of the world's top ten economies and a key hub in global supply chains, is a very important strategic partner for South Korea.
Today marks Chuseok, the biggest holiday in South Korea. I am very pleased that on this meaningful and joyful day, we have adopted the 2026-2030 Korea-Mexico Joint Action Plan, setting our bilateral cooperation on a path to new heights.
Now, the two countries will continuously explore the results of cooperation in all areas, including trade, development cooperation, intellectual property, space, cultural heritage, and education.
I would like to outline the specific outcomes of today's summit.
First, we agreed to strengthen the institutional framework and connections in finance and supply chains to further expand trade and investment between our countries and to seek new opportunities for cooperation.
After seven years of negotiations, we successfully concluded the revision of the investment protection agreement, and we will work together to ensure that the revised agreement is promptly ratified and comes into effect following necessary procedures.
To facilitate smoother trade, we have established a new institutional framework for the protection of intellectual property and the sharing of information on illegal customs goods.
This year, we will hold a 'Counterfeit Product Identification Workshop for Korean Goods' and a meeting in the first half of next year to discuss measures to block illegal and harmful goods, moving forward with follow-up discussions swiftly.
Additionally, we have decided to establish a $100 million pre-financing arrangement between our export-import banks, enabling Mexican companies purchasing goods and services from our businesses, as well as our companies investing in Mexico, to receive financial support more easily.
In relation to supply chains, we will launch a dialogue channel between our ministries to discuss crude oil and key resources.
Since our last meeting in May, President Sheinbaum has provided significant assistance regarding additional crude oil supplies for our companies.
I would like to express my gratitude once again on behalf of the people of South Korea. Thank you for agreeing to continue our cooperation for stable crude oil imports.
Above all, I emphasized the importance of concluding a 'trade agreement' to expand trade and investment between our countries and to create a stable business environment.
We will conduct joint research on mutual interests between our trade authorities to explore ways to establish a more mutually beneficial economic cooperation relationship.
President Sheinbaum and I also exchanged in-depth views on various requests from our companies operating in Mexico. In particular, we reached a consensus on the need for a prompt conclusion of a social security agreement to alleviate the significant burden faced by overseas dispatched companies and workers who are paying pension insurance premiums in both countries.
Second, we agreed to broaden our cooperation into future advanced fields such as artificial intelligence, digital technology, aerospace, and defense.
This is a way to link the strategic industries prioritized by our government with Mexico's economic development strategy, 'Plan Mexico.'
Our government and businesses have agreed to form a public-private delegation to visit Mexico in November this year and to discuss ways to accelerate cooperation in AI and digital technology.
Through the 'Korea-Mexico AI Cooperation Declaration' adopted today, we will jointly review the implementation of the APEC AI Initiative adopted last year in Gyeongju, in collaboration with Mexico, which will serve as the APEC chair in 2028. We will continue to share policies and experiences to prepare for the era of artificial intelligence.
The 'MOU on Aerospace Industry Cooperation' signed today and the 'Korea-Mexico Space Day' event to be held in Mexico in November will help us identify specific projects to enhance our aerospace industry competitiveness.
Furthermore, President Sheinbaum and I will explore ways for Korea to contribute to Mexico's ongoing military modernization process. Through the 'Defense Cooperation MOU' signed this time, we will deepen exchanges in various areas, including experience sharing, education, training, and research and development in the defense sector.
I requested President Sheinbaum's special attention and support to ensure that Korea's advanced defense technology leads to local production in Mexico, enhancing Mexico's defense industry capabilities and enabling our two countries to jointly enter third-country markets.
Third, we agreed to expand cooperation in culture and education, connecting our peoples and laying the foundation for exchanges between future generations.
The exchanges between our peoples, which began 121 years ago with the migration of our citizens to Mexico, have now expanded to an annual mutual visitor count of 200,000.
Interest in culture is growing increasingly vibrant. Beyond K-Pop, the affection of the Mexican people for Korean culture, including K-beauty and K-food, is remarkable.
We agreed to continue discussions on establishing relevant facilities in Mexico to allow the Mexican people to experience K-culture more frequently and easily.
By the end of this year, we will establish a working group to create an environment for joint content production between our two countries and to collaborate on training related talent.
Mexico is also a stronghold in the field of cultural heritage preservation. We will hold a symposium next year with experts from both countries to discuss policy cooperation for cultural heritage preservation and to share methods for preserving cultural heritage using advanced technology.
Above all, exchanges between future generations are the driving force that will lead our bilateral relationship to mutual prosperity.
President Sheinbaum proposed establishing a government scholarship program to support students from both countries, and we will discuss specific measures together.
Fourth, our two countries have established specific cooperation systems and implementation plans in various livelihood sectors where we can share our expertise, including public safety, agriculture, and anti-corruption.
We have built an institutional framework for cooperation between our law enforcement agencies to address transnational crimes such as online fraud, human trafficking, and drug trafficking. We will also collaborate in the areas of public safety infrastructure and technology.
Additionally, we agreed to launch practical cooperation projects starting next year to enhance the productivity of small and medium-sized farmers in Mexico through Korea's agricultural technology.
We will also establish an institutional framework to strengthen the safety management of Mexican seafood imported to Korea and to ensure more efficient issuance of sanitary certificates for Mexican livestock products.
For all the discussions mentioned today to bear fruit in actual prosperity, clean public administration, transparent systems, and responsible governance are essential.
Our two leaders agreed to launch a working group related to this and to hold workshops for the exchange of anti-corruption policies and systems.
Finally, as close partners, our two countries agreed to strengthen cooperation to address common challenges in the international community.
Mexico is a long-standing ally that shares values with us. South Korea welcomes Mexico's intention to chair the G20 in 2029 as we prepare to chair the G20 in 2028, and we will work closely together for a successful G20 meeting.
We will also continue to strengthen our cooperation based on multilateral discussions in the UN, APEC, and MIKTA, and we have agreed to further solidify our development cooperation partnership with Mexico, a major development donor in the Latin American region.
Esteemed President Sheinbaum has shown clear support and willingness to cooperate with our policy of peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula.
Our two countries will continue to work closely together for peace and stability in the international community, including the Korean Peninsula.
There is a Spanish proverb that says, 'Together, we can achieve anything.'
Based on the discussions and agreements made during today's summit, I look forward to our two countries opening a new chapter in our strategic partnership.
Once again, I thank President Sheinbaum and the people of Mexico for the warm hospitality extended today. Muchas gracias!
* This article has been translated by AI.
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