Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

Korea and Vietnam hold ceremony for signing of minutes

Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Dukgeun Ahn and Vietnam’s Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien held a ceremony on April 14 in Hanoi for the signing of minutes of the 14th Korea-Vietnam Joint Industrial Committee and 8th Korea-Vietnam FTA Joint Committee meetings. date2025-04-14

14th Korea-Vietnam Joint Industrial Committee & 8th FTA Joint Committee

Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Dukgeun Ahn met Vietnam’s Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien today in Hanoi for the 14th Korea-Vietnam Joint Industrial Committee and 8th Korea-Vietnam FTA Joint Committee meetings and discussed measures for reaching USD 150 billion in bilateral trade volume by 2030, cooperation in Vietnamese nuclear reactor projects, LNG power generation, clean energy development, and enhancing companies’ utilization of the bilateral FTA. date2025-04-14

Vice Minister attends Korea Pavilion opening ceremony at World Expo 2025 Osaka

Korea’s Trade, Industry and Energy Vice Minister Namho Choe attended the Korea Pavilion opening ceremony at World Expo 2025 Osaka on April 13 with the participation of Korea and Japan’s government delegations, related institutions, and business leaders including Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) President Kang Kyung-sung and Commissioner General of the 2025 World Exposition in Japan Haneda Koji. date2025-04-14

Vice Minister meets IEA Deputy Executive Director

Korea’s Trade, Industry and Energy Vice Minister Namho Choe met International Energy Agency (IEA)'s Deputy Executive Director Mary Burce Warlick on April 10 in Seoul for discussions on changes in the global energy market and response measures. date2025-04-14

Trade Minister meets senior U.S. commerce officials

Korea’s Trade Minister Inkyo Cheong met U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler and Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Nominee William Kimmitt on April 9 (local time) in Washington D.C. to discuss export controls and other trade issues. date2025-04-11

Trade Minister meets U.S. Trade Representative

Korea’s Trade Minister Inkyo Cheong met U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on April 8 (local time) in Washington D.C. to discuss bilateral trade issues. date2025-04-11

Public-private experts gather in Seoul to discuss clean energy transition

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) of Korea is launching the 16th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) and 10th Mission Innovation (MI) high-level working meetings through April 9–11 in Seoul with the participation of roughly 280 attendees from 24 member economies’ governments and international organizations. During the meetings, public and private experts shared trends on clean energy distribution, technological innovations, and policies for expediting clean energy transitions in line with global energy and climate goals. They also discussed joint measures across specific areas as well as preparation for the CEM and MI ministerial conferences slated for August 2025. As the chair of this year’s CEM and MI ministerial meetings, Korea proposed that key agendas include the expansion of clean power, catalyzing the utilization of hydrogen as a future fuel, artificial intelligence (AI), and energy innovation. With clean power, hydrogen, and AI technology being major elements to consider in climate crisis response, clean energy distribution, and energy security, it is anticipated that participants will actively seek joint measures for related support policies and technological innovations. The CEM and MI ministerial conferences will convene in Busan later this year from August 26–27 alongside the APEC energy ministerial meeting (Aug. 27–28) and the World Climate Industry EXPO (Aug. 27–29), raising expectations for extensive exchanges on measures for sustainable growth and cooperation among energy leaders of over 40 countries.   date2025-04-10

Minister Ahn meets Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Dukgeun Ahn of the Republic of Korea met Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour today in Seoul to discuss bilateral industry cooperation and trade issues. date2025-04-08

Korea to accelerate industrial cooperation with Morocco

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Dukgeun Ahn of the Republic of Korea met Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour today in Seoul to discuss bilateral industry cooperation and trade issues. A strategic hub connecting Europe and Africa, Morocco is renowned for its growth potential in terms of population, critical minerals, and supply chain competitiveness, and is considered a major emerging Global South country with an FTA network spanning 55 economies.  Also, more and more Korean companies are entering the Moroccan market as of late. Among those is Hyundai Rotem, which won a KRW 2.2 trillion (USD 1.5 billion) train order from the Moroccan National Railways Office (ONCF) this February. In addition, automobile parts manufacturers are diversifying business models by broadening production bases to Morocco and other overseas regions in exporting their goods to third countries in Europe. Today’s bilateral talks are significant in view of the pressing need for Korean companies to expand their export markets amid the rapidly shifting international trade order. Mentioning that Morocco is the only African nation to hold FTAs with both the U.S. and the EU, Minister Mezzour articulated Morocco’s advantageous position as a gateway to Europe, Middle East, and Africa and expressed anticipation towards investment cooperation with Korean companies for industrial development and infrastructure expansion in preparation of Morocco’s co-hosting of FIFA World Cup 2030. Against the backdrop of rising global protectionism and supply chain disruptions, Minister Ahn highlighted the potential for synergy through joint preemptive response and mutual growth between the two countries by combining Korea’s advanced technologies and Morocco’s capacity as a regional production base. At today’s meeting, Minister Ahn proposed that Korea and Morocco launch official negotiations for the swift conclusion of the bilateral Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) by carrying forward the momentum created on the occasion of the Korea-Africa Summit convened last June, as the EPA can serve as a legal and institutional framework for the two countries’ wider trade and investment cooperation. Minister Ahn further suggested that, prior to the EPA’s conclusion and entry into force, Korea and Morocco ink a bilateral Trade and Investment Promotion Framework (TIPF) as a cooperative platform for close consultations on trade issues so as to expedite their industrial collaborations.   date2025-04-08

Minister Ahn attends Korea-Philippines Business Forum

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Dukgeun Ahn of the Republic of Korea and Philippine’s Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go attended the Korea-Philippines Business Forum today in Seoul with the participation of 150 business leaders and government officials of both countries. In his congratulatory address, the minister assessed how the two countries have established a basis for wider economic cooperation with their bilateral relations elevated to a strategic partnership on the occasion of the last Korea-Philippines summit. He added that going forward, the Korean government plans to leverage economic cooperation platforms in making intergovernmental efforts to promote smooth business collaboration between the two countries. date2025-04-07