During his visit to South Korea, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck highlighted the shared goal of diversifying away from China, broadening raw material suppliers, and reducing dependence on critical products. Habeck, on a trip to Asia, is expected to discuss China’s relations with Russia in Beijing, along with managing the fallout of an escalating row over European Union tariffs on Chinese electric cars.
“South Korea has a similar economic policy to Germany, focusing on trade,” Habeck stated in Seoul. “It is a country that relies on open markets and pushes back protectionist tendencies as far as possible.”
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Habeck also called on South Korea to halt work on liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels for Russia under contracts agreed before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. “But there is a good chance that these ships will not be delivered,” Habeck added. “That would be very much in the interests of all countries applying sanctions to Russia.”
Concerns over Russia’s deepening defence cooperation with North Korea, highlighted by President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit, were also discussed. Habeck expressed alarm, stating, “The militarization from North Korea and the cooperation with Russia with the circumvention of sanctions is of real concern for me and I think for the whole world.” South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo reportedly shared these concerns.
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Accompanied by a delegation of small and medium enterprises from various sectors, Habeck engaged in a roundtable for companies, noting that “half of them already have a location in South Korea, while the other half want to explore the market, want to understand how the system works, and what market opportunities there are.”
