S'pore & South Korea to cooperate in civilian nuclear technology & defence for new Strategic Partnership

Singapore and South Korea will cooperate on civil nuclear energy technologies, safety and emergency responsiveness, and manpower capabilities, including through a bilateral Nuclear Cooperation Agreement.

According to a joint statement on the establishment of a strategic partnership between the two countries on Nov. 2, the agreement is part of a shared interest by both sides to develop and promote the energy transition, including cooperation on green technologies and financing, while improving energy security and infrastructure.

Energy security and emissions reductions

Apart from the Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, both South Korea and Singapore will also advance advance cooperation on energy security and resilience through the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation in the field of liquefied natural gas (LNG) concluded in October 2024.

The two countries will also explore sustainable financing solutions for transitioning to a low-carbon future and exchange information on digital sustainability in areas such as green software application and software carbon measurement.

They will also discuss standards and/or mutual recognition for low-carbon alternative fuels including ammonia, hydrogen, and its carriers on greenhouse gas emissions throughout the entire supply chain.

Ties between Singapore and South Korea have been elevated

The latest moves follows the elevation of Singapore's and South Korea's ties to that of a strategic partnership on Nov. 2, as both countries marked 50 years of diplomatic relations.

The announcement of the upgraded ties was made by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung at a joint press conference.

PM Wong is on his first visit to South Korea in his capacity as Prime Minister.

These four MOUs are for public personnel administration, a Green and Digital Shipping Corridor, digitalisation, and culture and sports.

Singapore and South Korea to also work more closely on defence

Apart from cooperating on energy, both countries have also agreed to cooperate more closely on the area of defence.

This includes the regular conduct of bilateral defence dialogue and consultations, military exchanges, and joint research and development in defence technology, via the annual ROK-Singapore Joint Steering Committee on Defence Technology Cooperation.

Both countries will also renew the Information Exchange Agreement (IEA) on the Verification of Chemical and Biological Warfare Agents, and explore collaboration on a Project Agreement (PA) and/or a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to facilitate joint development in specific sectors, such as in microelectronics.

The two countries will also strengthen bilateral cooperation on cybersecurity including through operational collaborations, sharing best practices, policies and regulations with each other, and uplifting cyber hygiene standards, resilience measures, and regional capacity-building activities.

Both sides will include these areas of cooperation to be discussed under the Republic of Korea (ROK)-Singapore Cyber Dialogue and will also enhance cooperation at multilateral fora including the UN to promote an open, safe, secure, stable, accessible, peaceful, and interoperable cyberspace.

Other areas of closer collaboration between the two countries will include civil administration, healthcare, pharmaceutical regulation, law enforcement cooperation, food security, technological research, people-to-people exchange and regional cooperation.

Top photo by Kendrick Wong via MDDI