President Yoon Suk Yeol said that this year marking the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Britain will be an important and meaningful one for the partnership.

The president made the remarks in his speech before the British parliament on Tuesday, the second day of his state visit to the European country.

In the English-language address titled “A Friendship to Turn Our Challenges to Pure Opportunity,” Yoon said that the British parliament has always been the heart of the great nation, calling it the mother of all parliaments.

The president credited support from the nations of the free world like Britain for South Korea’s evolution from one of the least developed countries to an economic powerhouse leading the semiconductor industry, digital technology and culture that wins hearts around the world.

Noting that British forces participated in the South Korea-U.S. combined exercise for the first time this year, Yoon said Seoul and London are building new mechanisms for intelligence sharing and cybersecurity cooperation.

He continued to say that two-way trade and investment have thrived in many areas since the bilateral trade agreement(FTA) took effect in 2021, adding that negotiations will begin on modernizing the FTA to strengthen cooperation in supply chains and digital trade.

President Yoon said that the two sides will together build a free and open international order and cultivate sustainable growth and prosperity for all humankind. 

He added that the two nations will broaden their cooperation into the digital, AI, cybersecurity, nuclear energy, defense industry, bio, outer space, semiconductor, offshore wind, green energy and maritime sector.

Mentioning geopolitical risks facing the two countries, such as the war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas conflict and the North Korean nuclear threat, Yoon said that South Korea and Britain must stand in solidarity and respond to many of the world’s challenges.

The president further stated that the two nations will work together to strengthen political and economic security in the Indo-Pacific region while seeking ways to utilize nuclear power and other clean energy sources and assist countries most affected by climate change in their efforts in the green transition.