Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

Middle Market Enterprises Lead Export Diversification to the New Southern Region

The 2025 International Cooperation Meet-up Day for Middle Market Enterprises, hosted by the Federation of Middle Market Enterprises of Korea (FOMEK) and the Korea Importers Association (KOIMA), was held on Monday, November 17, at the Fairmont Ambassador Seoul. The event brought together around 80 participants, including FOMEK Chairman Choi Jin-shik, KOIMA President Youn Young-mi, MOTIR Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo, Dato' Mohd Zamruni bin Khalid, Ambassador of Malaysia to the Republic of Korea, other ASEAN ambassadors stationed in Korea, and representatives from Dongsung and Sempio. Although middle market enterprises (MMEs) account for only 1.3 percent of all Korean companies, they represent 21 percent of Korea’s exports to ASEAN. In 2024, exports by MMEs grew 2.7 percent year-on-year, while their exports to ASEAN increased by 7.6 percent, underscoring their pivotal role in diversifying Korea’s export portfolio toward the New Southern region. Hyundai Research Institute, which delivered a presentation at the event, stated, “To expand MME networks in ASEAN, it is essential for Korea and ASEAN to jointly explore measures such as R&D cooperation in new industries and technologies to respond to the AI revolution, as well as the strengthening of soft-power capabilities in areas such as distribution, logistics, and culture.” Trade Minister Yeo attended the event and discussed follow-up measures to the Korea–ASEAN Summit held in Malaysia in October with Dato' Mohd Zamruni Khalid, Ambassador of Malaysia to the Republic of Korea, and other ASEAN ambassadors stationed in Korea. In his welcome remarks, he emphasized, “ASEAN has emerged as Korea’s second-largest region for trade and investment. As the core of the New Southern region, we will work to upgrade the Korea–ASEAN FTA with a focus on digital trade and actively resolve non-tariff and other trade barriers that hinder the overseas expansion of our middle market enterprises.” date2025-11-17

Korea–EU Discuss Key Trade Issues, Including New EU Steel Import Measures and Cosmetics Export Concerns

Under the Korea–EU Free Trade Agreement (Korea–EU FTA), the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim) held the 13th Korea–EU Committee on Trade in Goods meeting in Seoul on Thursday, November 13. As the consultative channel for tariff and non-tariff issues related to trade in goods, the committee reviewed the implementation of the Korea–EU FTA and discussed ways to resolve market-access challenges for companies on both sides. Now in its 13th year, the Korea–EU FTA continues to provide a solid foundation for creating an open and transparent market and fostering a mutually beneficial trade relationship between Korea and the EU. Building on this framework, the two sides have maintained steady economic exchanges despite rising global trade uncertainties, including heightened protectionism and supply-chain instability. The Korean side emphasized that strengthened EU regulations—such as the EU Battery Regulation, Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and the F-gas Regulation—should not place excessive burdens on businesses and must be applied in a non-discriminatory manner to both EU and non-EU companies. Regarding the steel import measures recently proposed by the European Commission, Korea emphasized that it is an FTA partner rather than a target of the restrictions and a trusted counterpart working with the EU to address global steel overcapacity. It also noted that the measure should not undermine the principles of free and fair trade between Korea and the EU and called for a mutually agreeable solution. As the EU tightens regulations on packaging and packaging waste in the cosmetics sector—an industry of growing importance for Korea—the Korean side requested clear communication of the relevant rules and sufficient preparation time for companies before enforcement. It further highlighted the need for continued dialogue during the revision of the Cosmetic Products Regulation (CPR). On issues of interest to the EU—such as labeling and online sales regulations for alcoholic beverages, offshore wind power systems, and safety regulations for children’s products—the Korean delegation shared its ongoing engagement with relevant industries and provided detailed explanations in response to the EU’s inquiries. Both sides agreed to maintain close discussions and cooperation to achieve meaningful outcomes at the Trade Committee meeting scheduled for the first quarter of next year. date2025-11-14

Korea and the UK Hold Sixth Round of FTA Upgrade Negotiations

Kwon Hye-jin, Director General for FTA Negotiations at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and Korea’s chief negotiator, met with her UK counterpart, Adam Fenn, Deputy Director at the UK Department for Business and Trade, together with delegations from both countries at the sixth round of Korea–UK FTA upgrade negotiations on Monday, November 10, at Conrad Seoul Hotel in Yeouido. After delivering opening remarks, the two sides held detailed negotiations across eight subcommittees, covering areas such as services, investment, digital trade, finance, and general provisions.   During his visit to the negotiation venue, Trade Minister Yeo noted that the upgraded Korea–UK FTA is expected to become a modern and comprehensive agreement covering not only expanded market access but also emerging issues such as supply chain resilience and digital trade norms. He encouraged both delegations to make every effort to resolve the remaining issues and conclude the negotiations swiftly. date2025-11-13

Korea and Qatar to Strengthen Cooperation in Energy Supply Chains, Plant, and Shipbuilding Sectors

Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources JK (Jung-Kwan) Kim met with Saad bin Sherida Al-Kaabi, Minister of State for Energy Affairs of Qatar and CEO of QatarEnergy, in Seoul on Wednesday, November 12. The two ministers discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, focusing on energy supply chain collaboration. The meeting, arranged during Minister Al-Kaabi’s visit to Korea, provided an opportunity for the two countries to discuss key issues related to energy supply chain stability and exchange views on expanding practical cooperation in the plant construction and shipbuilding sectors. Both ministers commended the longstanding partnership between Korea and Qatar in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector, which has helped maintain a stable supply chain. They also discussed Qatar’s ongoing plans to expand LNG production and shared perspectives on broadening cooperation across industrial and resource-related fields, including stable energy supply. Recognizing the close interconnection between LNG trade and related industries such as plant construction and shipbuilding, the two countries agreed to further strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in these areas. MOTIR stated that this meeting with Qatar’s top energy official served as a meaningful opportunity to reinforce energy supply chain stability and expand practical cooperation in key industrial sectors. The ministry added that it will continue to strengthen high-level dialogue channels with Qatar and pursue concrete project-based partnerships in LNG, plant construction, and shipbuilding. date2025-11-13

Korea and the UK Hold Sixth Round of FTA Upgrade Negotiations

Amid growing calls to pursue proactive trade policies to overcome global trade uncertainty and strengthen Korea’s export-driven economy, the sixth round of negotiations to upgrade the Korea–UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is being held in Seoul from Monday, November 10, to Friday, November 14. The Office of Trade Negotiations under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim) announced that delegations comprising around 60 officials from both countries will participate in the discussions, led respectively by Kwon Hye-jin, Director General for Trade Negotiations at MOTIR, and Adam Fenn, Deputy Director at the UK Department for Business and Trade, as chief negotiators. Following the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union (Brexit), Korea and the UK signed the Korea–UK FTA, which took effect in 2021, based on the Korea–EU FTA. Since launching the first round of upgrade negotiations in January 2024, the two sides have held five official rounds and multiple intersessional meetings aimed at easing strict rules of origin, expanding bilateral trade and investment, and establishing a future-oriented cooperation framework to address supply chain disruptions. The sixth round will focus on remaining issues related to services and investment. Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo, who visited the negotiation venue to encourage both delegations, stated, “The upgraded Korea–UK FTA will serve as a modern, comprehensive agreement encompassing not only additional market access but also emerging trade issues such as supply chain resilience and digital trade norms.” He urged the negotiators to make every effort to reach consensus on the remaining issues and conclude the negotiations as swiftly as possible.   date2025-11-10

Vice Minister Meets Saudi Arabia’s Assistant Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources

Vice Minister Moon Shin-hak of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources met with Abdullah bin Ali Al-Ahmari, Assistant Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Planning and Development of Saudi Arabia on Monday, October 27, 2025, at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu. During the meeting, the two sides discussed industrial cooperation between Korea and Saudi Arabia and explored measures to support Korean business projects currently underway in Saudi Arabia.   date2025-10-28

Korea and Saudi Arabia Step Up Cooperation in Core Manufacturing and Future High-Tech Industries

Saudi Arabia, the largest economy in the Middle East and North Africa region, is accelerating cooperation with Korea in key manufacturing sectors such as shipbuilding and automobiles, while partnerships in future high-tech industries, including artificial intelligence (AI), are also expected to gain momentum. Vice Minister Moon Shin-hak of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister Kim Jung-kwan) held the Korea–Saudi Vice Ministerial Meeting on Industry with Abdullah bin Ali Al-Ahmari, Assistant Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Planning and Development of Saudi Arabia, at the Government Complex Seoul on Monday, October 27, to discuss ways to strengthen industrial cooperation between the two countries and Saudi Arabia’s support for Korean business projects underway in the Kingdom. The meeting was also significant as it reviewed progress on major industrial cooperation initiatives discussed at the 5th Korea–Saudi Vision 2030 Committee, held in Seoul on September 27. Vice Minister Moon highlighted that Korean companies operating in Saudi Arabia have been actively contributing to the realization of Vision 2030, the Saudi government’s national strategy for economic diversification in the post-oil era. He requested continued attention and support from the Saudi government to ensure smooth implementation of related projects. Both sides agreed to maintain close government-level communication to support the progress of major industrial cooperation projects in Saudi Arabia’s core manufacturing sectors—most notably, International Maritime Industries (IMI), being developed within the King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services as the largest shipyard in the Middle East, and Hyundai Motor Company’s first assembly plant in the Middle East, now under construction in King Abdullah Economic City. In addition, the two vice ministers agreed to advance practical cooperation through relevant research institutes on the joint development of eco-friendly shipbuilding technologies aimed at reducing carbon emissions, a new initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia and adopted at the 5th Korea–Saudi Vision 2030 Committee Meeting. They also agreed to continue discussions on establishing hydrogen vehicle infrastructure, including the installation of hydrogen refueling stations and hydrogen quality management systems in Saudi Arabia, which Korea proposed as a new cooperation project during the same meeting. Vice Minister Moon further noted that as both countries are investing heavily in the AI industry as a future growth engine, Korea and Saudi Arabia should accelerate cooperation in AI infrastructure, including advanced semiconductors and data centers, while also expanding collaboration in AI applications such as digital twins, cloud computing, and robotics. Assistant Minister Al-Ahmari welcomed these proposals and agreed to work toward their practical implementation.   date2025-10-27

2nd Korea–Germany Industrial Data Space Forum

Kang Kam-chan, Director General for Industrial Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, attended the 2nd Korea–Germany Industrial Data Space Forum held on Thursday, October 23, 2025, at the Nine Tree Premier ROKAUS Hotel in Yongsan, Seoul. Co-hosted by MOTIR and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, the forum brought together around 100 experts from industry, academia, and research, including representatives from the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation, and AI solution companies. Director General Kang delivered opening remarks and discussed strategies to strengthen industrial data cooperation between Korea and Germany, sharing successful cases of collaboration. date2025-10-24

Korea and Germany Advance Industrial Data Cooperation to Accelerate Manufacturing AX

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister Kim Jung-kwan) announced that it co-hosted the 2nd Korea–Germany Industrial Data Space Forum on Thursday, October 23, at the Nine Tree Premier ROKAUS Hotel in Yongsan, Seoul, together with Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWE). The event brought together around 100 experts from industry, academia, and research, including representatives from the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT), the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation (KICOX), and AI solution companies. Overview of the 2nd Korea–Germany Industrial Data Space Forum Date/Venue: October 23, 2025 (Thu), 09:15 / Nine Tree Premier ROKAUS Hotel, Yongsan, Seoul Host/Organizer: MOTIR / KIAT Key Participants: [Korea] MOTIR (including the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards), KIAT, KICOX; [Germany] BMWE, Embassy of Germany in Korea, and organizations related to Manufacturing-X Main Agenda: Sharing of Korea–Germany industrial data utilization cases, policy cooperation discussions among MOTIR, KIAT, and KICOX, and consultations on the Korean Manufacturing-X initiative. Following the first forum held in October 2024, this year’s event was organized to discuss bilateral cooperation strategies and share best practices as the Korean government plans to include the “Industrial Data Space Standard Model Project” in the 2026 national budget. To drive manufacturing digital transformation (AX) by integrating AI across manufacturing processes and the entire upstream and downstream value chains, collecting and utilizing reliable industrial data is crucial. Reflecting this need, MOTIR signed an MOU with ten major industry associations at the 1st Industrial AI EXPO on September 3 to establish a voluntary data-sharing framework among companies. At the forum, participants discussed strategies for building industrial data spaces tailored to Korea’s industrial environment to enable manufacturing data sharing across key sectors. They also explored standardization and interoperability between Korean and German data spaces. Korean companies presented their technologies and pilot cases in industrial data space development, while the German side introduced the progress and best practices of Catena-X, the automotive industry’s leading data space initiative. Kang Kam-chan, Director General for Industrial Policy at MOTIR, stated, “If Korea can leverage Germany’s experience and expertise gained from successfully implementing Catena-X to build an industrial data ecosystem suited to our industries, it will greatly benefit Korean manufacturers. We will continue regular cooperation with Germany, a global leader in industrial data spaces, to jointly build a global industrial data ecosystem through strong public–private collaboration.”   date2025-10-23

Indo-Pacific Economic Framework Members to Review Supply Chain Cooperation

The Crisis Response Network (CRN) will conduct a joint tabletop exercise in Korea to enhance regional response capacity to supply chain disruptions in the Indo-Pacific region. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister Kim Jung-kwan) announced that Korea, as chair of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) CRN, will host the 4th IPEF CRN Regular Meeting and a crisis response tabletop exercise at the Lotte Hotel Seoul on Wednesday, October 22. The exercise marks the third joint drill since the CRN’s launch in 2024, which serves as the implementing body of the IPEF Supply Chain Agreement. It aims to establish a systematic framework for supply chain crisis response, focusing on assessing the effectiveness of member coordination and strengthening collective response capacity. The scenario involves a sudden shutdown in the refining and processing operations of a critical mineral–producing country, triggering shortages and price spikes across IPEF member economies. Participating countries will practice a series of real-time response procedures, including sharing supply chain updates, assessing crisis escalation levels, coordinating joint responses, convening a ministerial meeting, and adopting a joint statement outlining policy cooperation. This exercise features more detailed procedures than previous drills, including response measures by crisis level, bilateral consultations among countries with shared interests, and escalation to a ministerial-level meeting. In parallel with the exercise, Korea and Australia will share updates on the progress and future plans of their joint IPEF supply chain capacity-building program. The program, targeting seven member countries, aims to enhance regional supply chain resilience by providing tailored training on supply chain management, crisis response manuals, and policy development capabilities. As the central coordination mechanism for supply chain cooperation under the IPEF, the CRN serves as the control tower for rapid information-sharing, policy coordination, and collective action during disruptions. Korea, elected as the CRN’s inaugural chair in July 2024 following the signing of the IPEF Supply Chain Agreement in 2023, continues to play a leading role in strengthening supply chain crisis response. Lee Jaekeun, Director General for New Trade Strategy and Policy at MOTIR, stated, “Critical minerals are essential to achieving carbon neutrality and sustaining the competitiveness of advanced industries, making supply chain stability more crucial than ever. This exercise goes beyond a simple simulation, serving as practical training to replicate real-world policy decision-making and response procedures.” He added, “At a time of heightened concerns over critical mineral supply chains, this exercise reaffirms the Indo-Pacific countries’ strong commitment to active supply chain cooperation.” date2025-10-22