TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Maintaining a free and democratic Taiwan is in South Korea’s national interest, Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu (吳志中) said Monday.
During a welcome luncheon for a South Korean parliamentary delegation, Wu said Taiwan and South Korea are both democratic countries standing against the expansion of authoritarianism, according to the foreign ministry. The two countries also cooperate in culture, trade, and semiconductor supply chains, he added.
Wu said he hoped the two countries would continue to expand cooperation across multiple fields.
South Korean lawmaker Park Soo-young noted that Taiwan’s per capita GDP has surpassed NT$1.26 million (US$40,000), and said its experience could provide valuable lessons for South Korea. Lawmaker Kim Jae-won said he hoped to explore potential cooperation with Taiwan through the visit, while lawmaker Kwak Sang-eon welcomed closer exchanges between Taipei and Seoul.
Taiwanese Legislators Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and Kao Yu-chun (郭昱晴) said they were willing to help promote cultural and artistic exchanges between Taiwan and South Korea. The two sides held in-depth discussions on Taiwan-South Korea relations, responses to geopolitical challenges, and developments in the semiconductor and AI industries.
The foreign ministry said Taiwan and South Korea are important partners in the global democratic community that enjoy close trade and people-to-people relations. In 2025, bilateral trade exceeded US$90 billion, making South Korea Taiwan’s third-largest trading partner.
The ministry said it would continue to promote exchanges and cooperate with South Korean stakeholders to deepen ties.
