US Deputy Treasury Secretary "Discussing 5G Network Deployment with Korea"… Suggests Excluding China

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Jose Fernandez, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, stated on the 16th that discussions are underway with South Korea and others regarding the construction of fifth-generation mobile communication (5G) networks.

After attending the opening ceremony of the 5th Korea-U.S. Public-Private Joint Economic Forum held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Fernandez told reporters, "There is a desire for trustworthy networks."

The term "trustworthy networks" is interpreted to mean excluding Chinese-made equipment such as Huawei from related devices.

Fernandez said, "South Korea is a leader in the 5G field and is in talks with several countries interested in building 5G networks," adding, "There will be more opportunities for Korean companies to participate."

5G and next-generation mobile communication (6G) are areas where the U.S. is focusing its capabilities to secure a strategic advantage in the technological hegemony competition with China. The joint statement released after the Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) held in Seoul on the 2nd included language about exploring cooperation in the 5G and 6G fields between the two countries' defense ministers.

Deputy Secretary Fernandez, who arrived in Korea on the 15th, will, following his participation in the public-private joint economic forum, meet with Yoon Tae-sik, Director General for National Economic Management at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and Park Jin-gyu, First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, to discuss strengthening supply chains. During his three-day, two-night visit, he is also expected to meet with business and industry figures across various sectors including infrastructure, construction, electronics, bio, and batteries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.