German Chancellor Friedrich Merz began a five-day Asia trip on Oct. 26, with chip, battery and defense talks planned in South Korea as Berlin seeks stronger supply chains and security partnerships.
South Korea is the final stop on the Oct. 26-30 itinerary. President Lee Jae Myung is due to meet Merz on Oct. 29 to discuss trade and investment, semiconductors, batteries, artificial intelligence and defense industry cooperation, South Korea’s presidential office said. Regional and international issues are also on the agenda.
It will be the leaders’ third meeting, after talks at the G20 summit in November 2025 and the G7 summit in June 2026. Their Seoul meeting comes as Germany seeks more resilient supply chains and closer cooperation in advanced technology, according to the German government.
Merz is traveling with a business delegation. Berlin says it wants the trip to expand trade, attract investment to Germany and strengthen security ties. In an Oct. 21 speech, Merz pointed to supply disruptions and pressure on international rules as reasons to build closer partnerships.
The trip begins with Merz’s first visit to Singapore on Oct. 27-28, when he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and President Tharman Shanmugaratnam. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA) says Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will meet Merz during his Oct. 28-29 stop. Berlin has also scheduled a German-Japanese business summit.
Merz’s tour coincides with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s scheduled visit to China. The separate trips put German leaders in talks across the region during the same week.
In Seoul, Merz is scheduled to address the 19th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business on Oct. 30. The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a local co-host, expects around 800 business and political leaders at the Oct. 29-31 event. South Korea’s presidential office says the conference is being held in the country for the first time since 2007.
