Korea eyes closer science ties with Finland in quantum, 6G sectors

First Vice Minister of Science and ICT Koo Hyuk-chae, left, shakes hands with Finnish special envoy Antti Vasara during a meeting at the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Science and ICT

Korea will seek to expand cooperation with Finland in science through a strategic partnership, focusing on quantum and sixth-generation network technologies, Seoul's vice science minister said Friday.

First Vice Science Minister Koo Hyuk-chae made the remark during a meeting with Antti Vasara, the Finnish special envoy for technology, in Seoul to discuss ways to expand bilateral cooperation in cutting-edge technologies.

The Ministry of Science and ICT said the meeting was organized at Helsinki's request, as the European nation aims to bolster ties with Korea, which holds competitiveness in so-called game changer sectors, such as quantum, 6G networks and artificial intelligence (AI).

"Quantum, 6G and cybersecurity are core strategic technologies for leadership in future digital competition, and none of them should lose balance in the future digital ecosystem," Koo said in a release.

"By combining Korea's manufacturing and operational capacity with Finland's core technologies, security competitiveness and philosophy, we hope to design a safe and intelligent future network," Koo added.

In response, Vasara expressed hope for closer bilateral ties during the general assembly of the Quantum Information Network Standard Association scheduled to be held in Finland in May.