French President Macron lands in South Korea after Japan visit
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in South Korea on Thursday after visiting fellow US ally Japan, where he praised Europe's "predictability" in an apparent swipe at Donald Trump over the Iran war.
Macron's two-day itinerary includes a summit with President Lee Jae Myung and a visit to a war memorial to pay tribute to French soldiers who fought in the Korean War, as well as an economic forum and dinner with K-pop stars and South Korean filmmakers.
In Japan, the French leader signed a roadmap on critical minerals and defence cooperation and held more talks on Thursday with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, as well as meeting the imperial couple with his wife Brigitte Macron.
US President Trump called France "very unhelpful" over the Iran war on Tuesday and then made fun of Macron, saying a day later his wife "treats him extremely badly" while mimicking his accent.
Macron praised Europe's "predictability" on Wednesday while in Japan, contrasting it with those that "could hurt you without even informing you" in an apparent reference to the United States.
Trump also criticised South Korea the same day as he urged countries dependent on the Strait of Hormuz to help reopen the key oil route.
"Let the European countries do it. Let South Korea, who was not helpful to us, by the way. You know, we only have 45,000 soldiers in harm's way over there, right next to a nuclear force. Let South Korea do it," Trump said, referring to North Korea.
"Let Japan do it. They get 90 percent of their oil from the Strait. Let China do it. Let them all do it. What the hell are we doing it for?"
The United States has around 28,500 troops in South Korea.
In an opinion piece published Thursday in Le Figaro, South Korean President Lee called for stronger cooperation with France, particularly in key areas such as artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, hydrogen technologies and space.
"In an increasingly fragmented and uncertain international environment, partnerships between democratic nations that share common values are no longer merely desirable but are becoming strategically essential," Lee wrote.
Like other Asian economies, South Korea relies heavily on energy imports, including through the Strait of Hormuz, the effective closure of which has driven up energy prices and rattled the global economy.
The war has already prompted Seoul to impose a fuel price cap to ease pressure on its energy supply, the first such measure since 1997.
While the United States and Israel have said that their attacks on Iran are to stop it developing nuclear weapons -- an aim Tehran denies -- North Korea is thought to be light years ahead by comparison.
Despite years of sanctions and diplomatic isolation, Pyongyang is thought to have dozens of nuclear warheads and fissile material for many more, and has unveiled increasingly sophisticated delivery systems.
A.Andersson--StDgbl
