Ministers from South Korea, United States, and Japan to hold talks on supply chain issues

South Korea and the United States have agreed to hold talks on supply chain and commercial issues, along with a trilateral industry ministers’ meeting with Japan in the first half of the year. Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun made this announcement after a trip to Washington, where he met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

The plan for the meetings comes as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral and trilateral cooperation between Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo. The goal is to build a “lattice-like” network of allies to address regional and global challenges. Through these discussions, the countries aim to produce wide-ranging outcomes and promote resilient supply chains for key products.

Ahn highlighted the importance of the South Korea-U.S.-Japan industry ministers’ meeting, which was agreed upon by the leaders of the three countries during a summit at Camp David in August. The Supply Chain and Commercial Dialogue (SCCD) is a regular ministerial forum focused on key products like semiconductors, batteries, and critical minerals.

During bilateral energy ministers’ talks, Ahn also proposed the Ministerial Energy Policy Dialogue to address a broad spectrum of energy issues. He emphasized the need to revitalise communication channels between energy ministers from both countries. Additionally, Ahn called for support from U.S. officials to ensure fair treatment for South Korean enterprises in terms of subsidies, tax incentives, and securing visas for their workers.

Overall, the discussions between South Korea and the United States in Washington pave the way for enhanced cooperation on supply chain resilience, commercial issues, and energy policies. With a focus on strengthening ties with Japan as well, the trilateral industry ministers’ meeting is expected to further advance collaboration among the three nations in addressing complex economic and strategic challenges.