Maximizing Strengths for 80 Years
South Korea: "Contributing to Semiconductor Supply Chains"
On September 25 (local time), Foreign Minister Cho Hyun identified nuclear energy and artificial intelligence (AI) as two promising sectors in which South Korea and the United States can strengthen cooperation among the new domains of the Korea-U.S. alliance.
Minister Cho, who is visiting New York, United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly, made these remarks at a roundtable hosted by the Asia Society, stating, "For 80 years, South Korea and the United States have supported each other by maximizing their respective strengths."
Introducing his experience participating in the negotiations to revise the Korea-U.S. Nuclear Energy Agreement from 2009 to 2011, Minister Cho said, "Through that experience, I learned how important it is for the two countries to strengthen their nuclear energy partnership."
He emphasized, "South Korea possesses world-class expertise in nuclear power plant construction, while the United States is a global leader in nuclear technology innovation. Working together, we can create powerful synergy."
As an example, he mentioned that the two countries could cooperate by entering third-country markets to build nuclear power plants or by jointly developing and exporting small modular reactors (SMRs).
Regarding the AI sector, Minister Cho stated, "South Korea and the United States are natural partners in this field," adding, "South Korea is leading the manufacturing and supply of semiconductors and the supporting infrastructure, thereby contributing to a more stable supply chain."
Minister Cho explained that the Korea-U.S. alliance has so far established two pillars of security and economy based on the Korea-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty, the stationing of U.S. Forces Korea, and the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and added, "Today, the alliance is expanding further into new areas such as advanced science and technology, shipbuilding, AI, semiconductors, and nuclear energy."
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