President Yoon Suk Yeol congratulated Lawrence Wong on taking over as Singapore’s new prime minister and discussed ways to deepen bilateral ties in their phone conversation Monday, his office said.

Wong was sworn in as Singapore’s fourth prime minister last week to replace Lee Hsien Loong, who led Singapore for 20 years.

Calling Singapore “a key partner” in South Korea’s initiative to bolster its relationship with Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Yoon expressed his hope to enhance cooperation in such areas as digital, artificial intelligence and infrastructure.

Wong expressed his gratitude for the congratulations and wishes to step up bilateral cooperation in AI in light of his upcoming attendance at a virtual leaders’ session of the AI Seoul Summit on Tuesday.

South Korea and Britain are set to co-host the AI Seoul Summit on Tuesday and Wednesday, with leaders of major countries and global tech firms attending.

Source: Yonhap News Agency