President Claudia Sheinbaum and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung adopted the Mexico-Korea 2026-2030 Action Plan at Palacio Nacional on September 24, 2026, a four-year road map accompanied by 17 memorandums of understanding in defense, trade, technology and culture.
According to La Jornada, the signing took place during the South Korean leader's state visit, in the framework of 64 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Bilateral trade reached 27 billion dollars in 2025, and accumulated Korean investment in Mexico since 2006 exceeds 11 billion 500 million dollars through more than 2 thousand companies, according to El Universal. For Mexican companies, the plan opens the door to supply chains in advanced industries, artificial intelligence and digital technology. The 17 memorandums also cover academic mobility, tourism, agriculture and content coproduction, areas with direct impact on talent development and on the creative industry of both countries.
The plan contemplates an interbank credit scheme of 100 million dollars between the export and import banks of both countries, as well as the conclusion of negotiations to revise the Reciprocal Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement, which had been in process for seven years. On security, both governments agreed to cooperate against drug trafficking, human trafficking and digital fraud, in addition to exploring the participation of Korean defense technology in the modernization of Mexico's Armed Forces. Korea thanked Mexico for its cooperation in supplying crude oil to its companies. In culture, the possibility was announced of opening a K-pop culture center in Mexico and a Mexican Culture Institute in Korea. Sheinbaum noted that Mexican youth's enthusiasm for K-pop and Korean gastronomy shows the growing closeness between the two peoples.
The plan will enter into force after the formal signing and its ratification in the parliaments of both countries. Before the end of 2026, an informational session on intellectual property is planned, and in the first half of 2027, a meeting to curb the entry of illicit goods through customs.
This article was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence based on verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.
