Malaysia–South Korea Ties Strengthened Through Courtesy Call by Special Envoy Kim Young Choon

PUTRAJAYA, 23 July : Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today received a courtesy call from Kim Young Choon, the Special Envoy of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who is currently on a working visit to Malaysia.

The Special Envoy conveyed warm greetings from President Lee and reaffirmed South Korea’s strong commitment to deepening the strategic partnership between both nations. During the meeting, both sides expressed mutual agreement to enhance cooperation across various sectors, including trade, investment, green transition, digital economy, and defence.

South Korea currently stands as Malaysia’s eighth largest trading partner, with total bilateral trade amounting to USD 23.94 billion in 2024. The Prime Minister welcomed South Korea’s intention to finalise a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on defence industry cooperation by October 2025.

The two leaders also exchanged views on the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2025 Summit, scheduled to be held in Gyeongju, South Korea, from 31 October to 1 November. This marks the third time South Korea will host APEC, following previous summits in 1991 and 2005. Malaysia expressed full support for South Korea’s leadership in steering a progressive and inclusive regional agenda during the summit.

Prime Minister Anwar also extended an official invitation to President Lee Jae-myung to attend the upcoming 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October. He reiterated Malaysia’s strong commitment to working closely with South Korea to ensure sustained peace, stability, and prosperity across the region.