Lee Min-hyung joined The Korea Times in 2014 and has worked as a journalist mainly in Korea’s finance, tech and automotive industry. He specializes in content creation, breaking news and in-depth analysis currently on transportation and mobility. You can reach him via mhlee@koreatimes.co.kr.
Korea, US tighten partnerships in chip, battery, AI
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, center, speaks during a forum to elevate tech partnerships between Korea and the U.S. at the headquarters of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) in Seoul, Friday. From left are FKI Vice Chairman Kim Chang-beom, Jake Sullivan and Korea's National Security Advisor Cho Tae-yong. Courtesy of FKI
By Lee Min-hyung
National Security Advisor Cho Tae-yong
Top-ranking security officials from Korea and the United States agreed to elevate partnerships in state-of-the-art tech fields encompassing semiconductors, batteries and artificial intelligence (AI), a local business lobby group said Friday.
According to the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), Cho Tae-yong, a national security adviser here, met with his U.S. counterpart Jake Sullivan at a forum dedicated to boosting private-public sector ties in next-generation core tech areas.
A group of 30 firms from the two countries were invited to the event in Seoul, Friday, to deepen their partnerships. They included Samsung, Hyundai and SK from Korea, and Google, IBM and Amazon from the U.S.
The event comes amid a growing technological hegemony war around the world particularly in cutting-edge tech sectors. Global supply chains are undergoing rapid disruptions, particularly in manufacturing firms and countries heavily reliant on trade.
“It is very encouraging for both countries to upgrade their bilateral economic and technological partnership on the basis of the bilateral alliance,” FKI Chairman Ryu Jin said in an opening remark at the forum. “When the two countries collaborate with each other from not just the business, but governmental side, they will be able to reinforce competitiveness in core and emerging technologies and strengthen economic security.”
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan
The head of the business lobby also called on the governments from both sides to minimize trade barriers and ease regulatory hurdles, so they can expand bilateral investments in high-tech industries.
Cho also underscored the importance of taking the lead in core technological areas, so the nations can build a better economic and geopolitical future.
“The future of any country’s economy and geopolitics will be determined by how they lead in the key emerging tech areas,” Cho said.
The top security official also pledged to garner more support for companies in Korea and the U.S., in order to tighten partnerships to adopt international standards. He also promised to strictly block the risk of key tech outflows to other countries.
The event followed agreements from the Korea-U.S. summit in April when both sides reached a consensus on advancing collaborations in core and emerging tech areas.