Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

Minister Ahn meets Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry

Minister for Trade, Industry and Energy Dukgeun Ahn of the Republic of Korea held a bilateral meeting with Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Muto Yoji on March 30 in Seoul on the margins of the 13th Korea-Japan-China Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting to discuss joint response measures in view of the changing global trade landscape. date2025-03-31

Minister Ahn meets China’s Minister of Commerce

Minister for Trade, Industry and Energy Dukgeun Ahn of the Republic of Korea met China’s Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao on March 29 in Seoul on the occasion of the 13th Korea-Japan-China Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting to discuss measures for bilateral cooperation and trade issues. date2025-03-31

Korea and Japan hold trade and industry ministers’ meeting

Minister for Trade, Industry and Energy Dukgeun Ahn of the Republic of Korea held a bilateral meeting with Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Muto Yoji on March 30 in Seoul in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the two countries’ normalization of diplomatic relations and on the margins of the 13th Korea-Japan-China Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting. A first in nine months since the Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral convened in June 2024 in Washington D.C., the Korea-Japan trade and industry ministers’ meeting reciprocates the previous bilateral talks that took place in April 2024 in Tokyo. During the meeting, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) of Korea and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan highly appraised the two countries’ active intergovernmental and private-sector dialogue in supply chains, advanced industries, and new energy areas like hydrogen, and agreed to further cooperation to gain tangible outcomes in view of this year marking the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations. The two sides shared views and response measures with regard to the rapidly changing global trade landscape, agreeing to leverage both bilateral and multilateral (Korea-U.S.-Japan, Korea-Japan-China) platforms to share information and seek measures on issues requiring joint response.  Both sides will also be making joint effort towards Korea and Japan’s successful hosting of upcoming major international events including the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 (April–October 2025) and the opening ceremony of the Korea Pavilion (April 13, Osaka) and Korea Day (May 13, Osaka), as well as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Trade Ministerial (Jeju Island) and Energy Ministerial (Busan) meetings and the APEC CEO Summit.   date2025-03-31

Korea and China hold commerce ministerial talks on trade and economic cooperation

Minister for Trade, Industry and Energy Dukgeun Ahn of the Republic of Korea met China’s Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao on March 29 in Seoul on the occasion of the 13th Korea-Japan-China Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting (March 30, Seoul) to discuss measures for bilateral cooperation and trade issues in view of the changing global trade landscape. The bilateral meeting is a first since the last commerce ministerial talks held between the two countries in November 2023 in San Francisco.  The two sides exchanged views on the global trade environment and agreed to continue their mutually beneficial cooperation through not only bilateral trade platforms, but also multilateral trade systems such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). The two countries will also be making joint efforts toward their successful hosting of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week (AELW) in 2025 (Korea) and 2026 (China). Moreover, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) of Korea and the Ministry of Commerce of China (MOFCOM) plan to expand the scope of collaboration for the stabilization of the critical minerals supply chain and maintain communication and cooperation to resolve issues for businesses in each other’s markets.  Furthermore, the two sides will continue to share supply chain measures and policies through bilateral director general-level channels like the supply chain hotline and export control dialogue, while also bolstering cooperation between MOTIE and other major local governments in China, including those in regions such as Jiangsu, Guangdong, Shandong, and Liaoning.   date2025-03-31

Korea-Japan-China joint press briefing

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) of Korea, the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) of Japan, and the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) of China held a joint press briefing on the sidelines of the 13th Korea-Japan-China Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting on March 30 in Seoul. date2025-03-31

13th Korea-Japan-China Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting

Minister for Trade, Industry and Energy Dukgeun Ahn attended the 13th Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting between the Republic of Korea, Japan and the People’s Republic of China on March 30 in Seoul with the participation of Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Muto Yoji and China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, where they discussed follow-up measures to the ninth trilateral summit held in May 2024 and reaffirmed the need for cooperation among the three countries for the regional and global economic prosperity and stability. date2025-03-31

Joint Media Statement of the Thirteenth Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting between the Republic of Korea, Japan and the People’s Republic of China

Joint Media Statement of the Thirteenth Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting between the Republic of Korea, Japan and the People’s Republic of China 30 March 2025, Seoul, Korea   1.      We, the Economic and Trade Ministers of the Republic of Korea, Japan and the People’s Republic of China, convened in Seoul, Korea, on 30 March 2025, to hold the Thirteenth Korea-Japan-China Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting.   2.      We reaffirmed our conviction that trilateral efforts in the economic and trade sectors are essential for fostering the prosperity and stability of the regional and global economy, as emphasized in the Joint Declaration of the Ninth Trilateral Summit in May 2024.    3.      We noted with satisfaction the advancements made in trilateral cooperation between our three countries and held fruitful discussions on the future trajectory of our cooperation. We especially recognized the need for ongoing trilateral economic and trade cooperation to effectively address emerging challenges and achieve tangible outcomes in key areas.    4.      We shared the view that the Thirteenth Trilateral Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting plays a vital role in strengthening our trilateral cooperation. The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan and the Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China expressed their appreciation for the efforts of the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea as Chair to ensure the continual progress of trilateral economic and trade cooperation.   5.        (WTO Reform) We support the rules-based, open, inclusive, transparent, non-discriminatory multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core. We emphasized the need to advance the necessary reform of the WTO and strengthen all its functions, including negotiation, monitoring, deliberation and dispute settlement so that the organization can become more responsive and resilient in addressing current trade challenges, particularly in the lead up to the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14). We also reiterated our support for the extension of the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions at MC14. We commended the efforts to intensify discussions in the WTO on contemporary key issues.   6.        (WTO JSIs) Acknowledging the value of ongoing plurilateral discussions under the WTO, including the Joint Statement Initiatives (JSIs), we highlighted their potential to address emerging trade issues, foster inclusive economic growth, and build momentum towards multilateral outcomes. We urged WTO Members to support the early incorporation of the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement and the Agreement on Electronic Commerce into the WTO legal framework and encouraged wider participation in the Agreements.   7.      (RCEP) We highlight the importance of the transparent, smooth and effective implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement. We encourage the RCEP Joint Committee to finalise the Terms of Reference of the Accession Working Group (AWG) for new membership to the RCEP as soon as possible.   8.        (Trilateral FTA) We keep discussions for speeding up negotiations for a Trilateral FTA with a view to realizing a free, fair, comprehensive, high-quality and mutually beneficial FTA with its own value.   9.       (Predictable and Reliable Business Environment) We will continue to work to ensure a global level playing field to foster a free, open, fair, non-discriminatory, transparent, inclusive and predictable trade an date2025-03-31

Trade Minister meets Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Korea

Minister for Trade Inkyo Cheong of the Republic of Korea held talks with Federico Cuello, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the Republic of Korea, on March 27 in Seoul to exchange views on the global trade landscape and discuss measures for stronger bilateral economic cooperation. date2025-03-28

Minister meets with Alaska Governor

Minister for Trade, Industry and Energy Dukgeun Ahn of the Republic of Korea held talks with Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy on March 25 in Seoul and discussed measures for stronger Korea-Alaska energy cooperation and wider Korea-U.S. trade and investment. Minister Ahn also requested the Alaska state government’s support and interest towards Korean firms’ stable investment in the local U.S. market. date2025-03-28

Korea and Dominican Republic discuss trade and economic cooperation

Minister for Trade Inkyo Cheong of the Republic of Korea held talks with Federico Cuello, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the Republic of Korea, on March 27 in Seoul to exchange views on the global trade landscape and discuss measures for stronger bilateral economic cooperation. During the talks, Trade Minister Cheong noted the rising need for economic cooperation between Korea and Latin America amid the rapidly changing global trade environment and requested Ambassador Cuello’s active role in this respect as the Dean of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC). In view of the Dominican Republic being Korea’s major economic partner in the Latin American and Caribbean region, Trade Minister Cheong proposed that the two countries widen their trade and industry cooperation based on the bilateral Trade and Investment Promotion Framework (TIPF) signed on the occasion of the Dominican Republic Vice President Raquel Peña’s visit to Korea in April 2023. Moreover, the trade minister asked the Dominican Republic’s cooperation with regard to the bilateral Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations for the establishment of a stable basis for greater trade and investment between the two countries. He also requested support towards facilitating Korean businesses’ participation in the Dominican Republic’s energy infrastructure projects going forward.   date2025-03-28