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EU-Republic of Korea summit to take place in Brussels on 10 June

The President of the European Council, António Costa, together with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will represent the EU at the 11th EU-Republic of Korea summit taking place in Brussels on 10 June 2026. President Lee Jae Myung will represent the Republic of Korea.

The summit will be an opportunity to taking the EU-South Korea strategic partnership forward in all its dimensions.

“The European Union and the Republic of Korea are like-minded partners with a shared commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and open, fair trade. The upcoming summit reaffirms our determination to work together to promote peace and stability, and strengthen our thriving economic relationship. Together, we are building a partnership that delivers concrete benefits for our people and contributes to a more secure and prosperous future.”

António Costa, President of the European Council

The leaders will take stock of the progress made in the past three years, since the last EU-Republic of Korea summit, to further deepen their bilateral cooperation in areas of strategic importance such as trade, investment, defence and security, digital technologies, energy and research. They will also discuss the current geopolitical developments.

Background

The Republic of Korea is an important Strategic Partner for the EU, both in the Indo-Pacific and globally. The relations between the two partners are based on the Framework Agreement that established the EU-Republic of Korea Strategic Partnership (2014), the Framework Participation Agreement in EU crisis-management operations (2016) and the Security and Defence Partnership (2024). Trade relations are underpinned by the EU–Republic of Korea Free Trade Agreement, which entered into force in December 2015.

The Republic of Korea is the world’s 13th-largest economy and has a population of more than 51 million people. In 2025, trade in goods between the EU and the Republic of Korea exceeded €124 billion. The EU was the Republic of Korea’s third-largest trading partner, accounting for 10% of its total trade. The Republic of Korea was the EU’s eighth-largest trading partner, with EU imports amounting to €69.7 billion and EU exports reaching €54.5 billion. The main goods traded between the EU and the Republic of Korea include machinery and transport equipment, chemicals and related products, and other manufactured goods.

The previous EU–Republic of Korea Summit took place in Seoul in 2023 and sent a strong signal of closer cooperation between two like-minded partners. During the summit, EU and Republic of Korea leaders also launched the EU–Republic of Korea Green Partnership.