Government to Strengthen 'Joseon Cooperation' with Trump 2nd Administration... Expanding and Restructuring Trade Commission to Enhance Trade Remedy Capabilities

Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's 2025 Key Work Plan
Preparing 'Korea-US Shipbuilding Cooperation Package' Including Dry Docking
Announcing 'Eco-friendly Vehicle and Secondary Battery Competitiveness Enhancement Measures' This Month

The government will begin full-scale discussions on the 'Measures to Strengthen Korea-US Shipbuilding Industry Cooperation,' which President-elect Donald Trump of the United States has actively expressed interest in. To minimize the negative impacts of intensified protectionism, it has been decided to expand and reorganize the Trade Commission to strengthen trade remedy capabilities.

On the 8th, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy reported the '2025 Major Work Promotion Plan' containing these details to Choi Sang-mok, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance.

Park Sung-taek, the first vice minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said, "Since the soon-to-be-launched new US administration has signaled strong protectionist measures such as tariffs that could significantly impact the Korean economy, the government is carefully reviewing response strategies for anticipated situations and issues centered on the Foreign Economic Issues Meeting chaired by the Acting Prime Minister." He added, "Regarding the shipbuilding cooperation mentioned by President-elect Trump, discussions are underway with our companies about ship construction, MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul), and technical personnel cooperation plans."

Strategic outreach to the US is also underway. Minister Ahn Duk-geun of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has been visiting Georgia and Washington DC in the United States since the 6th to discuss ways to enhance Korea-US industrial cooperation. Additionally, to actively utilize private-sector networks, close communication with the business community is ongoing. Vice Minister Park said, "Following the inauguration of the new US administration, concerns are rising about the influx of globally oversupplied products into the domestic market and intensified competition in third-country markets amid escalating US-China conflicts. There is also a significant risk of protectionism spreading worldwide." He explained, "The Ministry plans to comprehensively expand and reorganize the Trade Commission, enhance dumping investigation techniques, and fully implement anti-circumvention dumping measures to significantly strengthen trade remedy capabilities in preparation for a flood of low-priced imports."

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will also promote competitiveness enhancement measures by industry to overcome crises in key sectors and fundamentally improve the overall industrial structure. While prioritizing the enactment of the Semiconductor Special Act, it will accelerate the creation of semiconductor mega-clusters, including the groundbreaking of the first fab in the Yongin cluster (Q1). Furthermore, focusing on four major fields?automobiles, robotics, defense, and IoT (Internet of Things)?the on-device AI semiconductor development project will officially commence, starting with a preliminary feasibility study in the first half of this year.

Within this month, a 'Measures to Strengthen Competitiveness of Eco-friendly Vehicles and Secondary Batteries' will be announced to overcome the current temporary demand stagnation. An integrated technology roadmap for the commercialization of autonomous driving will be prepared in the first half of the year, and a 'Plan for the Transformation of the Automotive Parts Ecosystem' to support the automotive parts industry's transition to future vehicles will be established within the year.

Regarding secondary batteries, the Ministry will actively build a battery recycling ecosystem through the enactment of the 'Used Battery Industry Promotion Support Act.' It will also intensively support technological development such as performance enhancement of nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) batteries, where Korean companies lead, and the development of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for mid-to-low-priced electric vehicles and energy storage systems (ESS).

For shipbuilding, a 'Measures to Strengthen Competitiveness of Ship Materials, Parts, and Equipment,' including R&D, demonstration, and commercialization, will be prepared in the first half of the year. Additionally, plans to nurture core future growth engines such as hydrogen carriers, ammonia-powered ships, and autonomous vessels following liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers will be established within the year. Vice Minister Park said, "We will designate the petrochemical complex area, expected to face difficulties, as an 'Industrial Crisis Preemptive Response Area' to minimize the impact on the regional economy." He added, "We will also prepare competitiveness enhancement measures for the steel industry, which is facing increasing difficulties due to global oversupply, carbon regulations, and trade risks."

Alongside this, the Ministry plans to finalize the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand through a prompt report to the National Assembly. Initially, the Ministry intended to build three large new nuclear power plants and one small modular reactor (SMR) by 2038 under the 11th Basic Plan. However, as opposition parties have expressed negative views on new nuclear power plant construction, the report to the National Assembly has not been made. In response, the Ministry is preparing a revised plan that defers the construction of one large nuclear power plant and is negotiating with the National Assembly. Vice Minister Park said, "The importance of stable carbon-free power supply is highlighted due to the rapid increase in electricity demand from advanced industrial investments and data center expansion." He added, "The Basic Plan must be finalized so that power generation facilities evaluated by experts can be constructed on time, and we plan to closely consult with the National Assembly."

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