Germany's Scholz Arrives in S. Korea, visits DMZ

On Sunday, Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned that North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile tests were a sign of a "still dangerous situation" on the Korean peninsula.

During a trip to South Korea, he urged Pyongyang to stop conducting ballistic missile tests, calling them "a threat to peace and security in the region."

Scholz traveled to South Korea on Sunday, after attending the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan.

He is the first German chancellor to visit the South Korean capital for a bilateral meeting in 30 years.

The German Chancellor met South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul. Security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, climate change, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine were on the agenda during the talks.

Economic ties are also believed to be a major focus of the visit, as Berlin seeks to reduce the German economy's dependence on China and expand ties with other Asian countries.

Scholz said he hoped South Korea would invest in his country to produce chips.

"From now, I expect South Korea and Germany will further expand reciprocal and future-oriented cooperation and strengthen the solidarity for peace and prosperity of Europe and Asia," Yoon said in opening remarks at the meeting with Scholz.

The chancellor also visited the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which divides the Korean peninsula.

With his wife, Britta Ernst, Scholz visited the Blue Barracks in the Demilitarized Zone along the border with North Korea, where the armistice agreement concluded in July 1953 after a three-year war was being negotiated.