S. Korea, US, Japan Agree to Enhance Cooperation on Supply Chains, Critical Technologies

South Korea, the United States and Japan have agreed to further strengthen trilateral cooperation in supply chains and critical technologies to enhance security in the Indo-Pacific region. 

South Korean Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Japanese Industry Minister Ken Saito made the agreement at the inaugural industry ministerial meeting in Washington on Wednesday.

The three sides discussed supply chains and regional economic security in the first meeting of commerce and industry ministers, which was held to follow up on a summit agreement that the leaders of the three countries reached at Camp David in August last year. 

In a joint statement released after the meeting, the three sides said their “shared intent is to leverage this trilateral mechanism to promote the development of critical and emerging technologies and strengthen the security and resiliency of their economies.”

The statement also said they aim to prioritize cooperation to strengthen the resilience of supply chains in key sectors, including semiconductors and batteries. 

In addition, they agreed to seek to deepen coordination of export controls and advanced technologies and enhance private sector partnerships for collaborative research and innovation related to advanced industrial technologies.