South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during the G7 summit.
These meetings signal South Korea's intent to strengthen strategic ties with key Western economies while advancing its maritime defense capabilities. The discussions occurred on the sidelines of the summit in Evian‑les‑Bains, France.
According to reports, the meetings took place on Aug. 16, 2024 [1]. President Lee held back-to-back sessions with the leaders to deepen bilateral cooperation between the nations. The diplomatic push comes as South Korea seeks to solidify its standing among the world's leading economic powers.
Central to the discussions was a South Korean submarine procurement bid [2]. The procurement process is a critical component of South Korea's national security strategy, and the talks with Germany and Canada served as a venue to coordinate interests and technical cooperation.
While some reports focused primarily on the interaction between President Lee and Prime Minister Carney [2], other records confirm that Chancellor Merz was also part of the diplomatic itinerary [1]. The three leaders utilized the G7 environment to address shared economic goals and security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
The summit in Evian‑les‑Bains provided the necessary neutral ground for these high-level interactions. By engaging both Canada and Germany, Lee aimed to diversify South Korea's strategic partnerships, an effort that aligns with the country's broader foreign policy goals of expanding its diplomatic reach beyond traditional allies.
“President Lee held back-to-back sessions with the leaders to deepen bilateral cooperation.”
The focus on submarine procurement during these bilateral talks suggests that South Korea is leveraging G7 diplomatic channels to secure technical or political support for its naval expansion. By engaging both Germany—a global leader in submarine technology—and Canada, South Korea is attempting to balance its defense acquisitions with strategic diplomatic alignment.
