SEOUL, April 16 (AJP) - South Korea held the "2025 Korea-Japan Partnership Plus Week" event on Tuesday at the Prince Park Tower Hotel in Tokyo to commemorate six decades of diplomatic relations.
The event, jointly organized by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, brought together government officials, industry leaders and business executives for a day of high-level talks and investment pledges.
The forum sought to align bilateral industrial cooperation with opportunities emerging from the upcoming 2025 Osaka Expo, with a particular focus on supply chain resilience and technological collaboration.
The day began with the Korea-Japan Economic Cooperation Forum, co-hosted by South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
KOTRA President Kang Kyung-sung and South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee delivered opening remarks, emphasizing the strategic importance of economic partnership.
The forum featured keynote addresses from Ahn Ho-young, a former South Korean ambassador to the United States, and Kanehara Nobukatsu, former Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary.
Later in the day, six Japanese firms — including companies in semiconductor materials and logistics — announced investment commitments totaling $44 million. KOTRA said the agreements would bolster South Korea’s technological competitiveness and strengthen supply chain stability in sectors where it remains highly dependent on external sources.
“These investments mark a significant step toward reducing vulnerabilities in critical industries,” the agency said in a statement.
A parallel event focused on innovation-driven collaboration, co-hosted with South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, brought together 40 South Korean firms specializing in artificial intelligence, digital governance, and smart cities.
They were joined by 32 Japanese companies in advanced manufacturing sectors such as semiconductors and secondary batteries. The session concluded with memorandums of understanding valued at $19 million, covering initiatives from AI-powered poultry farming to next-generation battery production equipment.
reporter
Candice Kim
candicekim1121@ajupress.com
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