ISTANBUL 

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong agreed on Sunday to form a strategic partnership between their nations and enhance collaboration in areas such as defense and trade.

The two leaders announced the launch of this partnership at a joint press conference in Seoul following summit discussions during Wong's official visit to South Korea, Yonhap News reported.

"Our two countries have many similarities, in that we have both achieved remarkable growth based on human capital and an open free trade order despite limited land, scarce resources, and challenging geopolitical environment," Lee said.

For his part, Wong said that “President Lee and I just now reaffirmed the excellent state of our relationship, and the vast potential for us to do more together,” according to CNA.

The two nations agreed to strengthen collaboration in areas including security, defense, artificial intelligence (AI), advanced technologies, people-to-people exchanges, and combating transnational crimes like online scams.

As part of the strategic partnership, South Korea and Singapore will enhance their efforts to address global challenges such as climate change and cross-border crimes, in response to the shifting international order that has traditionally supported global growth and prosperity, according to the presidential office.

The two sides also signed multiple memorandums of understanding covering areas such as digital cooperation, logistics and shipping, culture and sports, healthcare, people-to-people exchanges, and AI safety.