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| ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary General Kim Young-sun, right, poses with Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement President Jung Kyung-won at the ASEAN-Korea Centre in Seoul on July 12. / Courtesy of the ASEAN-Korea Centre |
By Rachel Lee
ASEAN and Korea have agreed to cooperate in the robotics industry to boost their economies.
The ASEAN-Korea Centre signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement (KIRIA) at the ASEAN-Korea Centre on July 12. The two organizations will work on implementing investment and trade promotion products and human resource development in the industry.
"This MOU with the KIRIA, the only governmental organization in Korea devoted to cultivating the intelligent robot industry, will serve as a stepping stone for the ASEAN-Korea Centre to broaden the fields for cooperation between ASEAN and Korea into more value-added industries," an ASEAN-Korea Centre spokesperson said.
At the "Investment and Market Research Mission Program" in Singapore from July 17 to 20, a Korean delegation of five businesspeople from related fields is expected to gain a view on the robotics industry there and explore investment opportunities.
The ASEAN-Korea Centre said major ASEAN nations such as Singapore and Thailand are expected to experience a huge increase in demand for robotics because of growing populations and a developing manufacturing sector.
Asia is becoming more influential in the robotics industry, with anticipated growth of about 18 percent by 2018.
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