President Lee Jae-myung and President Thongloun Sisoulith of Laos shook hands at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 15th before their summit meeting. The two leaders agreed to elevate the bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership and to establish a hotline and sign a police cooperation MOU for the protection of their citizens.
Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung announced on the 15th that President Lee held a summit with President Thongloun, who is on an official visit to South Korea, to discuss ways to develop Korea-Laos relations and major regional and international issues. The two leaders agreed to elevate the bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership and expand cooperation in broader and future-oriented fields such as infrastructure, key minerals, and climate change response.
The two leaders also signed the Korea-Laos Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty and Extradition Treaty to combat transnational crimes such as online scams. An MOU on the dispatch of labor under the Employment Permit System was also renewed. Spokesperson Kang explained that the two leaders agreed to establish a hotline between the South Korean Embassy in Laos and the Lao Ministry of Public Security for the protection of their citizens and to promptly sign the ‘Police Cooperation MOU’ under discussion between the two countries’ law enforcement agencies.
President Lee expressed his hope that South Korean companies could participate in the Luang Prabang International Airport development project being pursued by Laos. He also anticipated that mutually beneficial projects, such as establishing a supply chain for key minerals like rare earth elements based on Laos’ abundant natural resources and Korean technology, would be actively promoted. The two leaders also promised close cooperation on regional and international issues, including the Korean Peninsula issue and Korea-ASEAN relations.