South Korea, Qatar to deepen cooperation in advanced industries

South Korea and Qatar have agreed to expand cooperation in advanced industries such as artificial intelligence (AI) as they seek to strengthen economic and investment ties, Yonhap News Agency reported Wednesday.

South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo met with his Qatari counterpart Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed in Seoul, where they discussed boosting collaboration in sectors such as semiconductor development, biohealth and AI-driven manufacturing.

South Korea's trade ministry said the partnership aims to combine South Korea's industrial and manufacturing expertise with Qatar's financial resources and strong commitment to industrial diversification.

A key focus of the talks was cooperation in the manufacturing AI and robotics sectors with South Korea's Manufacturing AI Transformation (M.AX) initiative.

"Going forward, we will continue to strengthen energy security based on our strategic partnership with Qatar while steadily expanding the scope of bilateral economic cooperation into future industries, such as manufacturing AI and biotechnology," Yeo said.

Yeo also pointed to South Korean biopharmaceutical companies' ongoing expansion in Qatar and highlighted the potential of local AI chip fabless companies, calling for investment collaboration in such areas.

He also reaffirmed South Korea's commitment to energy cooperation with Qatar, including strengthening energy security based on the strategic partnership with the Gulf nation "while steadily expanding the scope of bilateral economic cooperation into future industries such as manufacturing AI and biotechnology."