Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim) held the 4th Korea–Netherlands Joint Committee on Innovation with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, in The Hague.

Since 2016, the two countries have advanced technological cooperation through the Eureka Network—the world’s largest intergovernmental network supporting international R&D and innovation, spanning 48 countries—with efforts led by their respective R&D agencies, the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). Since 2019, the two sides have also convened the Joint Committee on Innovation every two years at the director-general level.

At this year’s meeting, Choi Yeon-woo, Director General for Industrial Technology Convergence Policy at MOTIR, and Tjerk Opmeer, Director General for Business and Innovation at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, headed their respective delegations. 

The two sides acknowledged each other’s strong technological competitiveness in semiconductors and quantum technologies, underscoring the policy importance of these fields. Building on this shared understanding, the two sides signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to strengthen cooperation in these priority areas.

The two sides also agreed to expand international cooperation to include advanced strategic technologies. In this context, the meeting is expected to further reinforce the foundation for a joint response to global supply chain restructuring.

Director General Choi noted that “Korea and the Netherlands have steadily expanded industrial technology cooperation over the past decade,” adding that “this Joint Committee will build on those achievements and chart a shared course for the decade ahead.” He further emphasized that “MOTIR will continue to support international cooperation in industrial technology, to create new growth opportunities for companies and research institutions in both countries, as we jointly respond to intensifying global technology competition.”