Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

FICs and Domestic Research Institutions Partner for R&D and Technology Sharing

Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) hosted a technology exchange today at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) between foreign-invested companies (FICs) and domestic public research institutions with an aim to foster Korea’s innovation ecosystem by leveraging the R&D capabilities of global FICs. Launched with the participation of 10 FICs and 15 domestic research institutions, the exchange was first proposed by FICs during the Global Foreign Investment Company and Public Institution Roundtable held in May, with the goal of building an R&D cooperation system through technology exchange with the public institutions’ top researchers. At today’s exchange, participants took stock of technological progress in advanced industries, shared recent development trends, and explored future collaboration opportunities. MOTIE is in the process of pursuing supportive policies, such as expanding cash incentives linked to exclusive R&D projects for FICs and improving regulations, to attract investments for the establishment of a major global business R&D center to facilitate continued investment from FICs’ parent companies and catalyze the transfer of leading technologies currently unavailable in Korea.  At today’s exchange, FICs and public institutions engaged in not only technology sharing, but also in one-on-one consultations to identify potential joint projects and discussed tangible cooperative measures. Director General for Investment Policy Ryu Peob-min stated that the ministry plans to launch joint programs involving public research institutions for the establishment of a global R&D center for FICs with leading technologies, while pushing to expand exclusive R&D initiatives for FICs to promote the active participation of global corporations.   date2025-07-15

Korea’s ICT exports rise 5.8% in H1 2025

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) announced today that Korea’s exports and imports of information and communications technology (ICT) goods for the first half (H1) of 2025 gained 5.8 percent and 5.0 percent year-on-year to USD 115.2 billion and $70.9 billion, respectively. The trade balance recorded a surplus of $44.2 billion. In H1 2025, ICT exports maintained an upward trajectory for five consecutive months as a result of increasing demand for AI datacenters, achieving the second highest export value for H1.  By category, exports of semiconductors (up 11.4 percent), mobile phones (up 9.1 percent) and computers/peripherals (up 10.8 percent) rose, whereas those of displays (down 13.9 percent) and communication devices (down 2.5 percent) declined.  Semiconductor exports hit historic highs for H1 as fixed prices of key memory chips like DRAMs and NAND flash rebounded and high value-added chips such as HBMs and DDR5s retained strong performance. Mobile phone exports were driven by robust sales of top models and parts like camera modules.   Computers/peripherals also advanced, led by growing exports of datacenter solid-state drives (SSDs) in tandem with the expansion of AI servers.  Meanwhile, display exports shrank from the impact of adjusted downstream industry shipments and last year’s base effect. The drop in communication device exports is attributed to the global market slowdown as well as increased local production in Vietnam in an effort to secure cost competitiveness. By region, Korea’s H1 ICT exports grew to overseas markets like Taiwan (up 89.6 percent), the U.S. (up 14.5 percent), Vietnam (up 10.0 percent), India (up 9.3 percent), and Japan (up 5.7 percent). Those to China (including Hong Kong) (down 11.5 percent) and the EU (down 2.7 percent) contracted. As for H1 imports, categories like graphic cards (up 23.9 percent) and midrange and mainframe computers (up 36.9 percent) climbed sharply amid an expansion of AI infrastructure. ICT exports for June 2025 logged new highs for the month at $22.0 billion (up 4.7 percent), with semiconductor exports recording all-time monthly highs (up 11.5 percent to $15.0 billion).   date2025-07-14

MOTIE holds policy forum for cooperation with India and Southwest Asian countries

Korea’s Deputy Minister for Trade Park Jong-won attended a policy forum on the theme of “Digital Transformation and Korea-India Cooperation Strategy” today in Seoul to discuss future cooperation between the two countries in cutting-edge industries. In his opening message, he stated that the two countries’ economic cooperation and outcomes were previously focused on manufacturing sectors, adding that in consideration of the recent global oversupply and other structural issues, Korea and India should advance practical cooperation and uncover new cooperative models in digital high-tech areas going forward. date2025-07-09

Trade Minister meets U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan

Korea’s Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo met U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) on July 8 (local time) in Washington D.C. and asked for support in facilitating a stable business environment for Korean firms investing in the U.S. date2025-07-09

Trade Minister attends conference hosted by National Association of Manufacturers

Korea's Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo attended a conference hosted by the National Association of Manufacturers in Washington D.C. on July 8 (local time) to discuss mutually beneficial measures for Korea-U.S. manufacturing cooperation and exchanged views on Korea’s investment environment. date2025-07-09

MOTIE Launches Policy Forum for Deeper Korea-India High-Tech Cooperation

Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) jointly launched a policy forum on the theme of “Digital Transformation and Korea-India Cooperation Strategy” today in Seoul to discuss future cooperation between the two countries in cutting-edge industries. At the forum, Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) Research Fellow Ro Yoon-jae first spoke on India’s digital public infrastructure strategy, followed by Wellmatix CEO Satyabrata Aich, who presented on the prospects for collaboration based on the two countries’ AI industry trends and best cooperative practices. They both articulated the need for a stronger Korea-India strategic partnership in these areas, highlighting that combining Korea’s advanced manufacturing technologies with India’s IT competitiveness and startups ecosystem can create significant synergy. HD Hyundai, Balance Hero, Medipixel, and other companies operating in the local Indian market also attended today’s forum to share their experience and suggested ways to deepen intergovernmental policy cooperation. In his opening message, Deputy Minister for Trade Park Jong-won stated that the two countries’ economic cooperation and outcomes were previously focused on manufacturing sectors, adding that in consideration of the recent global oversupply and other structural issues, Korea and India should advance practical cooperation and uncover new cooperative models in digital high-tech areas going forward. With this year marking the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Korea-India special strategic partnership, MOTIE plans to expand policy communication with the Indian government and bolster cooperation in new industries.   date2025-07-09

Trade Minister meets U.S. Secretary of Commerce

Korea’s Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo met U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on July 7 (local time) in Washington D.C. to discuss Korea-U.S. manufacturing cooperation and other bilateral trade issues. date2025-07-08

MOTIE Holds Energy Super Week Briefing for Foreign Embassies in Korea

Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) held a briefing for foreign embassies in Korea on the upcoming Energy Super Week (Aug. 25–29) today in Seoul outlining the event’s main programs and the newly elected administration’s energy policy directions, requesting the foreign embassies’ interest and support. The briefing was attended by 43 foreign embassies in Korea including those of Japan, the EU, the UK, and Vietnam. Four major events are lined up for Energy Super Week in Busan: the APEC Energy Ministerial Meeting (Aug. 27–28), 16th Clean Energy Ministerial (Aug. 25–27), 10th Mission Innovation (MI) Ministerial (Aug. 25–27), and 2025 World Climate Industry EXPO (Aug. 27–29). Energy ministers, government delegations, and business leaders of 40 member economies, as well as relevant international organizations, will be gathering to discuss future energy outlooks and solutions. The APEC Energy Ministerial Meeting will cover key agendas such as power grid infrastructure, energy security, stable power supply, and AI-powered energy innovation. At the 16th Clean Energy Ministerial and the 10th Mission Innovation Ministerial, participants will discuss issues like energy efficiency, power transition, future fuels (hydrogen), energy and AI, and carbon reduction technologies.  Near the end of August, MOTIE will co-host 2025 World Climate Industry EXPO with the International Energy Agency (IEA) and World Bank (WB) on the theme of “Energy for AI & AI for Energy,” featuring speakers like IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol and WB Vice President Manuela Ferro. The program consists of three major summits — the Global Leadership Summit, the Energy & AI Summit, and the Climate Summit — alongside 12 specialized conferences and sideline events, including recruitment sessions and trade consultations. Visitors can also experience the latest and future technologies in areas of climate and energy at various booths set up by Samsung, LG, Doosan Enerbility, Hanwha Qcells, and other global companies.   date2025-07-08

Trade Minister meets U.S. Trade Representative

Korea's Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo met U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on July 5 (local time) in Washington D.C. as the tariff moratorium nears its end to discuss mutually beneficial cooperation measures in the manufacturing sector and exchanged views on key agendas. date2025-07-07

Korea and China Hold 3rd Supply Chain Hotline Meeting

Director General for International Trade Relations Kim Jong-chul at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea and Director General of the Department of Asian Affairs Wang Liping at the Ministry of Commerce of China led their respective delegations in the third Korea-China supply chain hotline meeting today in Seoul. date2025-07-03