SEOUL, South Korea and the United States agreed Saturday to strengthen their cooperation in next-generation technologies, such as bio, artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, battery and energy technology, according to Seoul’s presidential office.
The agreement was reached during the inaugural Next Generation Critical and Emerging Technologies Dialogue held between the two countries at the presidential office in Seoul.
During the meeting co-chaired by South Korean National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong and his U.S. counterpart, Jake Sullivan, both nations decided to explore ways for cooperation between semiconductor technology centers, which their governments are pushing to establish in their countries.
They also pledged to broaden opportunities for supporting joint research projects between South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT and the U.S. National Science Foundation.
In the bio sector, the countries will invest at least US$10 million in supporting research collaboration between the two institutions.
The countries also agreed to initiate a civilian-government meeting involving the governments and pharmaceutical companies of the two countries in the U.S. next year to strengthen the supply chain for pharmaceuticals, among other plans aimed to facilitate corporate cooperation in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors.
The battery and clean energy sector will witness an expansion of research and development collaboration between state think tanks of the two countries for the development of next-generation batteries, according to the presidential office.
Washington will cooperate with Seoul on various international AI-related meetings it will host next year, including a mini virtual summit on AI safety, a global AI forum and a summit on the responsible use of AI in the military domain, also known as REAIM 2023.
The two countries are also expected to cooperate in the construction of information and communications technology infrastructure in third countries, such as Southeast Asian nations, and in the field of international standards, such as 5G and 6G.
“Korea has positioned core and emerging technology policies as a crucial pillar of its security policy, and is pushing for the enactment of related laws, the establishment of a pan-governmental joint response team for technology leaks, and the expansion of global joint research budgets,” Cho was quoted as saying during the meeting.
In response, Sullivan said he was pleased to hold the meeting and hoped the two allies will continue to strengthen cooperation in the field of core and emerging technologies.
Source: Yonhap News Agency