Germany's Scholz visits Korean DMZ, urges North to stop missile tests

SEOUL (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday called for North Korea to stop ballistic missile tests after he visited the fortified border between North and South Korea ahead of a summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul.

Scholz, who is visiting South Korea after attending the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima, Japan, called the missile tests a sign of a "still dangerous situation" on the Korean peninsula.

"This is a threat to peace and security in this region," he said at a military base after a visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.

Germany's history as a divided nation had been overcome, he said, but division persists on the Korean peninsula.

Yoon and Scholz later met in Seoul, where the South Korean leader said respect for freedom as a universal value was "very vital" in the face of authoritarianism challenging democracy, unstable global supply chains and the war.

"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.

Both Scholz and Yoon left Japan on Sunday after joining the G7 summit. South Korea was invited as an observer.

G7 leaders signalled they would not back down from supporting Ukraine, and outlined a shared approach towards China, looking to "de-risk, not decouple" economic engagement with a country regarded as the factory of the world.