Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

Trade Minister Cheong meets Korean firms operating in local Brazilian market

Korea’s Minister for Trade Inkyo Cheong held a meeting with Korean firms operating in the local Brazilian market on October 25 in São Paulo and discussed business issues. date2024-10-28

B20 Trade Ministers' Session

Korea’s Minister for Trade Inkyo Cheong attended the B20 Trade Ministers' Session on October 25 in Brazil and asked for business leaders’ active participation in the APEC CEO Summit 2025 following his presentation under the theme of governance, resilience, and stronger efficiency for sustainable trade and investment. date2024-10-28

Korea proposes technical committee for international MVDC standards at IEC General Meeting 2024

The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) of the Republic of Korea announced on October 27 that it proposed the launching of a technical committee (TC) for the legislation of international standards for medium voltage direct currents (MVDC) during the IEC General Meeting 2024 held in Edinburgh, UK, through October 21–25. The TC proposal comes as a follow-up measure to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)’s selection of Korea’s MVDC technology as a key future standards area this May. Following previous TCs for printed electronics (2011) and wearables (2017), the TC for MVDC is the third to be pushed by Korea. It is anticipated that the transmission of direct currents produced from harnessing hydrogen fuel cells, solar energy and such new renewable sources will substantially contribute to securing technological competitiveness in the global MVDC grid market. On the margins of the IEC General Meeting, KATS and the Czech Office for Standards, Metrology and Testing (UNMZ) entered a two-year arrangement on implementing standards cooperation including plans for a bilateral technical standards workshop on artificial intelligence (AI) and electric vehicle (EV) chargers, as well as launching a Korea-Czech Standards Cooperation Forum for closer standards collaboration, with a view to support the two countries’ comprehensive economic cooperation over industries, trade, and energy as a follow-up to Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the Czech Republic this September.   date2024-10-28

Energy Policy Dep. Minister meets Petronas’ Gas and Maritime Business CEO

The Republic of Korea’s Deputy Minister for Energy Policy Lee Ho-hyeon met with Petronas’ Gas and Maritime Business CEO Datuk Adif Zulkifli today in Seoul to discuss measures for energy cooperation. date2024-10-25

Trade Minister meets South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition

Minister for Trade Inkyo Cheong of the Republic of Korea met South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Zuko Godlimpi on October 24 in Brazil for bilateral talks on Korea-South Africa economic cooperation on margins of the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting. date2024-10-25

Trade Minister meets UK’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade

Minister for Trade Inkyo Cheong of the Republic of Korea met UK’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds on October 24 in Brazil for bilateral talks on Korea-UK trade issues on margins of the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting. date2024-10-25

Trade Minister meets UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade

Minister for Trade Inkyo Cheong of the Republic of Korea met UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi on October 24 in Brazil for bilateral talks on continued cooperation for Korea-UAE CEPA ratification and entry into force on margins of the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting. date2024-10-25

Korea announces International Standards Strategy on Convergence Robot Technology

The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) of the Republic of Korea announced today the Convergence Robot Technology International Standards Strategy (“Strategy") for supporting the Korean robot industry’s global super gap securing efforts. In line with Korea’s national standardization strategy for advanced industries announced this May, the above Strategy was established through the international robot standardization forum composed of related academia, industry, and research experts. With the acceleration of digital transformation based on artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G, the scope of demand for robots is extending beyond industrial uses to include a wider range of areas such as logistics, housework, delivery, and care service. In view of this trend, the Strategy outlines the plan to push 21 Korean Standard (KS) legislations and 16 key international standard proposals for mainly wearable, rehabilitation, and home service robots by 2028. Notably, the Strategy contains an international standard proposal on safety precautions for users of rehabilitation robots for the physically challenged, a joint research project in progress by the Korea Association of Robot Industry (KARI) and the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA). Accordingly, KARI and RESNA signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the joint development, utilization, and sharing of relevant international standards on the margins of the Strategy announcement.   date2024-10-25

Trade Minister meets U.S. Trade Representative

Minister for Trade Inkyo Cheong of the Republic of Korea held bilateral talks with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai on October 24 in Brazil on Korea-U.S. trade issues on margins of the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting. date2024-10-25

Trade Minister meets Japan’s Vice Minister for International Affairs

Minister for Trade Inkyo Cheong of the Republic of Korea held bilateral talks with Japan’s Vice Minister for International Affairs Matsuo Takehiko at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) on October 24 in Brazil on the WTO reform and supply chain and decarbonization cooperation on the margins of the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting. date2024-10-25