Ministry of Science and ICT Promotes Asia-Pacific Joint Cooperation to Secure New Industry Frequencies

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that it will hold the "5th Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting (APG23-5)" to prepare for the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) over six days from the 20th to the 25th at BEXCO in Busan.

About 450 participants, including representatives and officials from 38 member countries of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT), are expected to attend the APG23-5 meeting. Korea will participate with a delegation of 70 experts from government, industry, academia, and research institutes, led by Choi Woo-hyuk, Director of the Radio Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT.

The WRC (World Radiocommunication Conference) is a conference hosted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) that decides important matters in frequency allocation and radiocommunication fields. Held every four years, it is called the "Radio Olympics" and is scheduled to take place for four weeks this November in Dubai.

At this APG23-5 meeting, Asia-Pacific countries will establish a joint position on the WRC23 agenda items, including mobile communications, satellites, maritime, aviation, and scientific fields. Ahead of the WRC23 preparatory meeting (CPM23) to be held next month in Geneva, Switzerland, this meeting is significant as the last opportunity to reflect Korea’s position in the CPM23 report to secure future industrial frequencies and create a stable frequency usage environment.

As the host country, Korea plans to actively promote discussions on the WRC23 agenda through vigorous bilateral consultations with major Asia-Pacific countries such as China, Japan, and Australia. In particular, to prepare a joint Asia-Pacific position on the agenda for the next WRC in 2027, Korea will proactively propose the necessity of research to discover candidate frequencies for 6G and seek cooperation.

Additionally, the APG23-5 meeting will discuss new frequency allocations and operational conditions for new services using satellites, such as satellite Internet of Things (IoT), and for life safety including aircraft flight safety. The Ministry of Science and ICT will continuously respond to protect the radio usage environment by securing new industrial frequencies necessary to revitalize the domestic industrial ecosystem and strengthening prevention of frequency congestion and interference until the WRC23 meeting in November.

The opening ceremony on the 20th will be attended by key figures including Masanori Kondo, Secretary-General of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT), Mario Maniewicz, Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau, Wi Kyu-jin, Chair of APG23, and Choi Woo-hyuk, Director at the Ministry of Science and ICT.

In his opening remarks, Director Choi Woo-hyuk stated, "The 5th Asia-Pacific Preparatory Meeting (APG23-5) is an important occasion for the Asia-Pacific region to cooperate jointly to secure new industrial frequencies for the future and lead digital innovation," introducing the key contents and vision of the digital strategy. He also expressed hope that "meaningful outcomes such as establishing a joint Asia-Pacific position on the WRC23 agenda will be achieved through this meeting."

At the official welcome dinner held that evening, Hong Jin-bae, Director of the Network Policy Office, will attend and convey Korea’s determination to host the 2030 Busan World Expo to the delegations of each country. He will emphasize that Busan, the candidate city, has sufficient capabilities to host the World Expo and is making its best efforts, stressing the importance of securing international frequencies to lead innovation in future society and urging the leading role of Asia-Pacific countries in this regard.

Meanwhile, with the cooperation of Busan City, the Ministry of Science and ICT plans to promote Busan’s bid for the 2030 World Expo by broadcasting promotional videos and distributing flyers at the conference venue, naturally raising awareness among the delegations from various countries.