US, South Korea sign pact on AI, bio and space technologies

The US and South Korea on Wednesday signed a pact to cooperate in artificial intelligence (AI), bio and space technologies, as well as next-generation mobile networks.

The pact, dubbed the Technology Prosperity Deal, was signed ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea's southeastern city of Gyeongju, Yonhap News reported.

It came as US President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea early Wednesday for a two-day trip during which he held talks with his counterpart Lee Jae Myung.

"AI promises a new golden age of innovation by empowering individuals and supercharging progress across sectors like healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and education," said a joint agreement by the two sides.

Washington and Seoul will cooperate on "developing pro-innovation AI policy frameworks" and "promoting the export of trusted AI technology stacks," it added.

Ha Jung-woo, senior AI policy and future planning advisor to Lee, commented on the pact, saying: "We have decided to put priority on direction over speed, trust over control, and cooperation over competition."

Michael Kratsios, head of White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said the pact "reflects Washington's respect for South Korea as a technology partner of the US."

South Korea is hosting a two-day high-level meeting of the APEC summit from Friday, and currently, preparatory meetings for the gathering of 21 member economies are underway.