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"ROK President Lee Jae Myung and French President Emmanuel Macron said they had agreed to work together on reopening the Strait of Hormuz - although did not take questions on how exactly they'd do it, as they met on Friday. Footage shows Macron arriving at Seoul’s Blue House (Cheong Wa Dae) to a grand welcome from Lee and the ROK’s Guard of Honour. Later, they are seen handshaking for the cameras before sitting down for the summit. Speaking after the talks, Lee stressed the need for closer co-operation to ensure "secure safe maritime transport routes through the Strait of Hormuz". Donald Trump has slammed his so-called allies for not stepping up and helping him secure the Strait - telling them to 'go get your own oil' - and has singled out Macron in particular, after the French leader repeatedly refused to get involved. Trump even commented on the state of Macron's marriage this week, saying the president was 'still recovering' from his wife's 'right to the jaw' - a reference to 'punchgate' during their trip to Asia - while the French leader called the remarks 'inelegant'. Following the France-ROK talks, Lee said: "President Macron and I agreed to share policy-related experiences and strategies in order to jointly address the economic and energy crises triggered by the Middle East war. We also concurred on working together to reduce uncertainty in the global economy." "We confirmed our commitment to bolstering energy security by expanding our cooperation in the nuclear and offshore wind power sectors while collaborating to secure safe maritime transport routes through the Strait of Hormuz," he added. The two leaders also sought to strengthen long-term economic ties, setting a target to increase annual bilateral trade to $20 billion by 2030, up from $15 billion last year. A series of memorandums of understanding were signed to expand cooperation across advanced industries, including artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum technology. Seoul and Paris also agreed to enhance collaboration on critical mineral supply chains, combining South Korea’s manufacturing strength with France’s processing capabilities and infrastructure - a move seen as increasingly important amid intensifying global competition for strategic resources. Lee added that both countries would look to reinforce security cooperation and contribute to broader efforts to stabilise the Middle East, particularly by safeguarding maritime routes and mitigating the risk of further escalation. Macron’s two-day visit marks his first trip to South Korea since taking office in 2017 and the first by a French president in more than a decade, coinciding with the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries."
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