Yeohan-gu, Director General of Trade Negotiations, "Will Pursue Active Technology Trade Strategy to Promote and Protect Core Technologies"

The First Trade Promotion Committee Meeting Held After Inauguration

Yeo Han-gu, Director General for Trade Negotiations at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. (File photo)
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] Yeo Han-gu, head of the Trade Negotiations Division at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, stated on the 2nd, "In the midst of a new paradigm shift linking and converging new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G with trade, we will actively pursue a technology trade strategy to promote and protect core technologies."

On this day, Director Yeo held the Trade Promotion Committee meeting for the first time since his appointment at the Government Complex Sejong, presenting policy directions in response to recent changes in the global trade environment, including plans for trade promotion aimed at national wealth creation, technology trade strategies, and the review status and response plans for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Director Yeo said, "Considering technology maturity and market leadership potential, we will select partner countries for cooperation and establish and implement strategies tailored to their characteristics. At the same time, we must secure international standards for new technologies through expanded proposals for international standards, strengthened activities in international organizations, and holding bilateral and multilateral standard cooperation forums with major countries." He added, "We will systematically protect our core technologies through three major policy tools: industrial technology protection, export control, and investment screening."

As key directions for trade promotion aimed at national wealth creation, he presented ▲ supply chains ▲ technology trade ▲ digital ▲ vaccines ▲ carbon neutrality (climate change). Director Yeo emphasized, "While major countries such as the United States are promoting the reorganization of global supply chains through allied cooperation, our country will also strengthen trade to play a leading role in the global supply chain beyond supply chain stabilization." He added, "We will secure our leadership in the global regulatory discussions accelerated by digital transformation and establish a domestic digital growth foundation."

The government plans to focus on establishing detailed response strategies and tasks by officially launching and operating task forces (TFs) for the remaining areas such as supply chains, technology hegemony, climate change, and digital trade this month, starting with the vaccine task force kickoff on the 30th of last month. The detailed response strategies and tasks for the five major strategic areas prepared by the TFs will be submitted as agenda items to the Trade Promotion Committee and, if necessary, to the Ministerial Meeting on External Economic Affairs for approval and implementation.

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