Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

5th Central Asia Policy Forum

Park Jung-sung, Deputy Minister for Trade at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR), attended the 5th Central Asia Policy Forum held on Tuesday, December 2, at Lotte Hotel World in Seoul.   The event was attended by more than 50 participants from the government, related organizations and associations, companies operating in Central Asia, and academia. Deputy Minister Park also presented ministerial commendations to three individuals who contributed to advancing Korea–Central Asia trade cooperation.   In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister Park emphasized that Central Asia is an essential partner for strengthening Korea’s competitiveness in advanced industries and securing strategic resources. He noted that the Government will build country-specific cooperation models by deepening supply chain partnerships for critical minerals, expanding cooperation in energy and plant projects, and improving the investment environment, adding that the forum marks an important milestone in preparations for next year’s inaugural Korea–Central Asia Summit. date2025-12-03

MOTIR Explores Ways to Expand Korea–Central Asia Economic Cooperation

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim) held the 5th Central Asia Policy Forum on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at Lotte Hotel World in Seoul. The forum was attended by more than 50 representatives from the government, relevant organizations and associations, companies operating in Central Asia, and academia. Central Asia holds significant potential for supply chain cooperation, supported by key resources such as energy and minerals, and serves as a strategic logistics hub for the Eurasian region. Korea and Central Asia also have complementary industrial structures. Against this backdrop, the forum discussed ways to translate these cooperation prospects into tangible outcomes. In his opening remarks, Park Jung-sung, Deputy Minister for Trade at MOTIR, stated that “Central Asia is an essential partner for strengthening Korea’s competitiveness in advanced industries and securing strategic resources.” He added that “the government will develop cooperation models tailored to each country’s needs, with a focus on deepening supply chain partnerships for critical minerals, expanding cooperation in energy and plant projects, and improving the investment environment.” He emphasized that “today’s forum marks an important milestone in preparing for the inaugural Korea–Central Asia Summit in 2026 and will help elevate bilateral cooperation to a new stage.” At the forum, MOTIR presented ministerial commendations to three individuals who contributed to advancing Korea–Central Asia economic and trade cooperation: Lee Dong-eun, Senior Researcher at the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT); Kim Beom-seong, Principal Researcher at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH); and Rukhullo Zikrillaev, Counsellor at the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the Republic of Korea. date2025-12-02

Meeting with Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of ISED Canada

Park Jung-sung, Deputy Minister for Trade at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, met with Alexandra Dostal, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister for the Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), on Monday, December 1, at the reception room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul. The two officials discussed key economic and trade issues between Korea and Canada.   Deputy Minister Park expressed strong regret over Canada’s announcement to tighten TRQ measures and urged their swift withdrawal, noting potential legal concerns and implications for Korean companies’ investments. He also emphasized the two countries’ substantial cooperation potential in sectors such as defense, AI, automobiles, batteries, critical minerals, and energy, and highlighted Korea’s commitment to advancing a reliable and mutually beneficial industrial supply chain with Canada. date2025-12-02

Korea–Serbia Hold First Official CEPA Negotiations

Amid rising global protectionism, supply chain stability and access to emerging markets have become increasingly important for Korean companies. Against this backdrop, the first official round of negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Korea and Serbia—an EU candidate country and a growing manufacturing and logistics hub in the Balkan region—will be held in Seoul from Monday, December 1, to Thursday, December 4, 2025. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim) announced that more than 60 delegates from both countries will participate in the negotiations. Korea will be represented by Son Ho-young, Acting Director-General for FTA Negotiations, and Serbia by Olivera Jocic, Acting Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade, who will serve as chief negotiators. During this first round of talks, the two sides will discuss ten areas, including tariff concessions, rules of origin, customs procedures, and economic cooperation. Following the September 2024 declaration launching the negotiations, the two governments conducted prior consultations to align the structure of the agreement and the scope of key issues. This round is expected to deliver substantive progress, including determining the level and extent of market opening. Acting Director-General Son stated, “Serbia is a strategic gateway linking markets adjacent to the EU with the Balkan region. With more Korean companies entering Serbia in areas such as electric vehicles, batteries, and renewable energy, the Korea⁠–Serbia CEPA will greatly enhance market access and mitigate supply chain risks for Korean businesses.” He added, “The government will pursue swift and substantive progress in the negotiations.” date2025-12-01

Korea and Canada Discuss Economic and Trade Issues, Including Canada’s Steel TRQ Measures

Park Jung-sung, Deputy Minister for Trade at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim), met with Alexandra Dostal, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister for the Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), in Seoul on Monday, December 1, 2025. The two officials discussed key economic and trade issues between Korea and Canada. Deputy Minister Park expressed strong regret over Canada’s announcement on November 26, 2025, to tighten its steel tariff rate quota (TRQ) regime. Under this measure, Canada will reduce the steel import quota allocated to its FTA partners, including Korea, from 100 percent to 75 percent of their 2024 import volumes and impose a 25 percent tariff on steel derivative products. He urged Canada to withdraw the measure promptly. Deputy Minister Park stressed that “these measures could violate trade laws and run counter to the spirit of the Ottawa Group, which Canada leads as a champion of the rules-based multilateral trading system.” He further noted that the measures could have serious implications for Korean companies’ ongoing or planned investments in Canada, and requested that Canada avoid actions that could undermine opportunities for potential economic and strategic cooperation between the two countries. Deputy Minister Park also noted the substantial cooperation potential between Korea and Canada across multiple sectors—including defense, AI, automobiles, batteries, critical minerals, and energy—and that Korean businesses have been shortlisted for Canada’s submarine procurement project. He expressed hope that the two countries will continue to strengthen a reliable and mutually beneficial industrial supply chain, given their long-standing roles as leading defenders of the rules-based trading system. date2025-12-01

Korea Pursues Market Diversification in Latin America Amid Shifting Global Trade Environment

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim) held the 29th Korea–Latin America Business Forum on Friday, November 28, 2025, at COEX in Seoul, together with the Korean Council on Latin America and the Caribbean and other private sector organizations. The forum brought together diplomatic representatives from 18 Latin American countries accredited to Korea, Korean companies operating in the region, and officials from trade and investment support institutions. Established in 1997, the forum convenes annually. This year’s session examined the Latin American business environment in light of global trade shifts following the inauguration of the Trump administration in the U.S. and explored strategies for Korean companies to expand into high-potential sectors such as digital technologies and infrastructure. Latin America is a major global market with a population of approximately 690 million and a GDP of roughly USD 7 trillion. The region is also a key source of critical minerals, including lithium and copper, giving it significant potential as a partner for Korea in market diversification and supply chain stability. Since signing its first FTA with Chile in 2004, Korea has expanded its FTA network in the region to eight countries. Over the past two decades, bilateral trade has more than quadrupled, and Korean investment has increased more than twenty-fourfold. In his welcoming remarks, Park Jung-sung, Deputy Minister for Trade at MOTIR, underscored the need for Korea and Latin America to broaden their trade networks and strengthen cooperation on critical minerals and other supply chain issues to ensure sustainable growth amid heightened global uncertainty. MOTIR will continue to expand cooperation with Latin American partners through existing resource cooperation channels and bilateral and multilateral high-level dialogues, while actively supporting Korean companies seeking to enter regional markets. date2025-11-28

Korea–EU to Deepen Cooperation on Semiconductors, AI, Future Mobility, Batteries, and Economic Security

Minister JK (Jung-Kwan) Kim of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) met with Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy at the European Commission, on Thursday, November 27, 2025, in Seoul, to discuss ways to deepen strategic cooperation in advanced industries and technologies, including semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), future mobility, batteries, and supply chains. The meeting was held during Executive Vice-President Virkkunen’s visit to Korea. As the official responsible for the EU’s key priorities—including technological sovereignty, security, and digital transformation—she and Minister Kim underscored the need for joint responses and cooperation amid rising protectionism, supply chain disruptions, and other rapidly changing global economic conditions. The two sides recognized the long-standing strategic partnership between Korea and the EU in the economic and technological fields and agreed to elevate cooperation into a future-oriented partnership encompassing economic security and advanced industries. They highlighted that Korea and the EU have complementary industrial structures in semiconductors—Korea in memory manufacturing and the EU in automotive semiconductors and advanced equipment—and agreed to work closely to ensure supply chain stability amid heightened global uncertainties. The two sides also discussed concrete cooperation measures in future-growth industries such as AI, future mobility, and batteries. On AI, Korea shared its plan to develop a Korean version of the Manufacturing-X platform, benchmarking the EU’s industrial data platform of the same name, and proposed cooperation to enhance interoperability in data linkage and utilization. Korea also emphasized the importance of international standardization for accelerating AI adoption across industries and invited the EU to participate actively in the International AI Standards Summit to be held in Seoul in December 2025. Regarding future mobility, both sides agreed to broaden cooperation in EV transition, charging-infrastructure expansion, and autonomous driving communication and data systems to support carbon neutrality goals and climate crisis response. On batteries, Korea explained that domestic companies are strengthening the EU’s advanced battery production capacity and supply chains through investments in the region. Korea requested EU-level interest and support to help expand demand for EU-produced batteries. Korea also conveyed industry concerns about delays in follow-up legislation under the Battery Regulation, asking the EU to consider fairness and consistency with other related policies during the legislative process. Both sides reaffirmed the progress achieved through multilateral platforms such as Eureka and agreed to further strengthen cooperation in advanced technologies and supply chain partnerships. Korea—which became Eureka’s first non-European member in 2009—has actively pursued cooperation with Europe in ICT, machinery and materials, and biotechnology, and was elected to the Board in 2023. Korea also raised concerns regarding the Czech nuclear FSR investigation and the EU’s proposed steel import restriction measures, requesting constructive resolution. MOTIR stated that this meeting with the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission served as an opportunity to strengthen Korea–EU cooperation in semiconductors, AI, future mobility, and other advanced industries, while enhancing supply chain stability. MOTIR added that it will activate high-level consultation channels following this meeting and develop the discussed agenda into concrete cooperation projects. date2025-11-28

Meeting with the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission

Kim Jung-kwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources, met with Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy at the European Commission, on Thursday, November 27, in Seoul to discuss ways to deepen strategic cooperation in semiconductors, AI, future mobility, batteries, and supply chains.    During the meeting, Minister Kim and Executive Vice-President Virkkunen emphasized the need for joint responses to rising protectionism and supply chain disruptions and highlighted the importance of building a more resilient and forward-looking Korea–EU partnership. Minister Kim noted that MOTIR will activate high-level consultation channels based on the meeting's outcomes and work to develop the discussed agenda into concrete cooperation projects. date2025-11-28

Meeting with the Deputy Minister of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Tajikistan

Park Jung-sung, Deputy Minister for Trade at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, met with Nazar Aziz Savzali, Deputy Minister of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Tajikistan, on November 24 at the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation in Seoul to discuss expanding bilateral economic cooperation in trade and investment, development cooperation (ODA), and critical mineral supply chains. The Tajik delegation also included Abdugaffor Jamolzoda, Deputy Director of the Export Agency, and Shamsullo Khairullozoda, Deputy Minister of Finance. Deputy Minister Park said, “Tajikistan is one of Korea’s key economic partners in Central Asia. We will continue to advance bilateral cooperation through various policy initiatives in areas such as trade, investment, and development cooperation.” date2025-11-25

Korea and Tajikistan Discuss Expanding Economic Cooperation

Park Jung-sung, Deputy Minister for Trade at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim), met with Nazar Aziz Savzali, Deputy Minister of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Tajikistan, on November 24, 2025, at the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation in Seoul to discuss expanding bilateral economic cooperation in trade and investment, official development assistance (ODA), and critical mineral supply chains. The Tajik delegation also included Abdugaffor Jamolzoda, Deputy Director of the Export Agency, and Shamsullo Khairullozoda, Deputy Minister of Finance. During the meeting, the two sides noted the steady growth in bilateral trade but agreed on the need to diversify exports beyond automobiles. They also discussed expanding industrial cooperation through MOTIR’s ODA programs in areas such as textiles and solar power, as well as strengthening cooperation on critical mineral supply chains in Tajikistan.  The Tajik delegation expressed interest in benchmarking Korea’s export promotion and industrial site development policies to expand bilateral trade and investment, and requested more active communication, including the sharing of best practices. The Korean side agreed on the importance of strengthening exchanges and cooperation. Deputy Minister Park said, “Tajikistan is one of Korea’s key economic partners in Central Asia. We will continue to advance bilateral cooperation through various policy initiatives in areas such as trade, investment, and development cooperation.” date2025-11-24