Chey Tae-won: "Korea and Japan Should Build a Big Tent Platform to Become 'Rule Makers' in the AI Era"

First Korea-Japan Special Session Held at Nikkei Forum in Tokyo
Semiconductors, AI, and Energy Proposed as Key Areas of Cooperation
"Combining Korea's Memory Semiconductors and Japan's Industrial Ecosystem Will Reduce Costs"

Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, proposed that if Korea and Japan actively pursue economic cooperation, they could rise to become 'rule makers' in the new international order, and suggested building a 'big tent' platform to bring together cooperation agendas.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won is attending the Nikkei Forum "Korea-Japan Special Session" held on the 9th at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan, introducing the blueprint for Korea-Japan economic cooperation. SK Supex Council

On June 9, Chairman Chey attended the 31st Nikkei Forum 'Korea-Japan Special Session' held at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan, where he emphasized the necessity of Korea-Japan economic cooperation. The event was hosted by the Japanese economic daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun and organized by SK and the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies.

Chairman Chey held a discussion on the topic of 'The Direction of Korea and Japan Amid Complex International Affairs' with Masakazu Tokura, Advisor at Sumitomo Chemical, and Masahiko Kato, President of Mizuho Bank.

He identified population decline due to low birthrates and aging, the weakening of the free trade order, and the surge in electricity demand caused by the spread of artificial intelligence (AI) as common challenges for both Korea and Japan. He stated, "Korea-Japan economic cooperation will provide a foundation for both countries to become 'rule makers' in creating a new international order."

He cited semiconductors and AI as the two countries' core areas for cooperation. Chairman Chey said, "Amid the technological hegemony of the United States and China, it is necessary for Korea and Japan to secure economies of scale and bargaining power," and proposed that the two countries jointly pursue an 'AI factory' to scale up and improve efficiency.

In particular, he highlighted memory semiconductors as Korea's strength and the industrial ecosystem as Japan's strength. "Each country holds a different position," he said. "If you combine Korea's memory semiconductors with Japan's industrial ecosystem, it will reduce costs and become a strategic asset for both countries."

Regarding the energy sector, he stressed the need to "jointly develop energy sources outside of the Middle East, conduct collaborative research on advanced materials and alternative batteries, and enter the future energy sector together—such as small modular reactors (SMRs)—to lead the formation of international standards."

Chairman Chey also suggested establishing a permanent 'big tent' cooperation platform that would involve governments, businesses, academia, and the younger generation, so that Korea-Japan cooperation would not be swayed by political or diplomatic variables. He said, "Through Korea-Japan economic cooperation, we can generate an additional synergy worth 1 trillion dollars, beyond the combined economic scale of 6 trillion dollars of both countries."

Advisor Tokura responded positively to Chairman Chey's blueprint for Korea-Japan economic cooperation, saying, "To solve the common issue of energy self-sufficiency, the two countries should work together to develop next-generation innovative nuclear power plants, such as SMRs." President Kato also cited cooperation between Korean and Japanese companies in AI data centers, semiconductors, and liquefied natural gas (LNG), adding, "Let's develop practical cooperation to make Korea-Japan economic cooperation a reality."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.