South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for a swift resumption of negotiations for a trade agreement with Mexico, saying stronger institutional ties would further deepen bilateral economic cooperation. Speaking Friday at a South Korea-Mexico business forum in Mexico City during a state visit, Lee said cooperation between the countries was already contributing significantly to Mexico’s economy and job creation. His remarks come as uncertainty over the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement raises potential costs and supply-chain risks for Korean companies operating in Mexico. Lee said the countries should combine Mexico’s manufacturing base and local parts ecosystem with South Korea’s technological competitiveness to expand beyond North America into global markets. A senior Presidential Office official said it was too early to push for a free trade agreement while the USMCA is being renegotiated, suggesting the countries could consider a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement or a less extensive complementary trade framework. Bilateral trade reached $20.6 billion last year, making Mexico South Korea’s largest trading and investment partner in Latin America, while South Korea is Mexico’s fifth-largest trading partner. Lee also called for cooperation in biotechnology, health care, beauty, digital innovation, energy, power systems, infrastructure and cultural industries. Korean companies are investing in artificial-intelligence data centers, power systems and electric-vehicle facilities in Mexico and working with Mexican companies on low-carbon and methanol projects. The forum drew 51 Korean business leaders and 27 Mexican government and business figures, including Chey Tae-won and Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard.