"Korean Semiconductors and Japanese Robots Join Forces"... Korea-Japan Business Leaders Explore Physical AI Cooperation

KITA Holds 6th Korea-Japan Economic Roundtable
Discusses Responses to Trade Shifts and Joint Expansion into Third-Country Markets

The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) and Japan’s Association of Corporate Executives discussed ways to promote industrial and supply chain cooperation between the two countries in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).

KITA held the 6th Korea-Japan Economic Roundtable at Trade Tower in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on November 6. The meeting was held under the theme “Advancing Korea-Japan Economic Cooperation and Global Trade Solidarity in the Age of AI.” It was organized to identify future growth engines based on the industrial strengths of both countries and strengthen cooperation on economic security.

Yoon Jin-sik, chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, delivers opening remarks at the 6th Korea-Japan Economic Roundtable at the Trade Tower in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 6th. Korea International Trade Association

The Korea-Japan Economic Roundtable is an official private-sector communication channel jointly established by the Korea-Japan Exchange Special Committee, launched by KITA in February 2024, and Japan’s Association of Corporate Executives. To strengthen networks between business leaders from the two countries, the roundtable has been held twice a year, alternating between South Korea and Japan, since its first meeting in Tokyo in May 2024.

The event was attended by Kim Namjung, vice chairman of the Korea-Japan Exchange Special Committee and chairman of Dongwon Group. Japanese participants included Masahiko Homma, managing partner of Incubate Fund, and Masaaki Muta, president of Transcosmos and co-chair of the Association of Corporate Executives’ Korea Committee. Around 30 business leaders from both countries attended.

The first session addressed the industrial applications of physical AI and robotics. Lee Jipyeong, a distinguished professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, and Hiroki Nozaki, CEO of ZEN Intelligence, gave presentations. Participants discussed ways to combine South Korea’s AI and semiconductor technologies with Japan’s robotics and precision manufacturing capabilities. They agreed to jointly identify opportunities for manufacturing innovation and new businesses by leveraging the complementary industrial structures of the two countries.

Participants also discussed the global trade environment and strategies for economic security cooperation. The speakers were Jang Sangsik, director of the Institute for International Trade at KITA, and Professor Takashi Terada of Doshisha University. They discussed ways to ensure stable sourcing of essential goods, including semiconductors and key materials, amid the global spread of protectionism and the reorganization of supply chains. Models for companies from both countries to jointly expand into third-country markets were also a key agenda item.

Yoon Jinsik, chairman of KITA, said, “The Korea-Japan Economic Roundtable has developed into a practical channel for cooperation between the business communities of the two countries. I hope companies from both countries will continue to achieve tangible results in cooperation in AI and economic security.”

Japan’s Association of Corporate Executives is an incorporated association in which business executives participate in their individual capacities to make policy recommendations and conduct private-sector diplomacy. It is considered one of Japan’s three major business organizations, alongside Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

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