Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS, President Kim Dae-ja) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim) announced that it co-hosted the 6th Korea-U.S. Standards Forum with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in Denver, Colorado, on July 31, 2026.

Around 60 experts from industry, academia, and research organizations attended the forum, including representatives from ANSI, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), Microsoft, and HP, Inc. Participants discussed concrete ways to coordinate their efforts to lead international standardization in advanced technologies.

Through panel discussions focused on four key areas—AI, quantum technology, future mobility, and biotechnology—experts from both countries shared updates on the latest standardization trends and discussed practical ways to establish a framework for cooperation on jointly proposing international standards and shaping the standard-setting process from an early stage.

In parallel with the forum, KATS held separate bilateral meetings with NIST, ANSI, and SCC. With NIST, KATS discussed cooperation in AI and quantum technology, areas in which NIST plays a leading global role. KATS and SCC agreed to expand cooperation across critical and emerging technologies by building on their cooperation on AI pre-standardization and the implementation of their joint work plan.

At their regular meeting, KATS and ANSI exchanged information on their respective national standards policies and discussed ways to expand private-sector cooperation with U.S. standards developing organizations (SDOs) and strengthen coordination within the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The two sides also agreed to step up joint efforts in international standardization, expand expert exchanges in advanced technologies such as AI and quantum technology, and develop concrete action plans to translate standards cooperation into tangible outcomes.

“Building on the strong trust between the national standards bodies of Korea and the United States, we will pursue practical cooperation on proposing international standards and promoting their use by industry in critical advanced technologies such as AI and quantum technology,” said KATS President Kim Dae-ja. “We will also regularly implement action plans and facilitate expert exchanges with North American standards organizations, including ANSI, NIST, and SCC, to maximize our ability to deliver results and help Korean technologies be reflected in global standards and gain a foothold in overseas markets.”