Speakers said surging power demand driven by AI and growing energy instability tied to the Middle East underscore the need to deepen cooperation in semiconductors, liquefied natural gas and small modular reactors.
Choi Joong-kyung, chairman of the Korea-U.S. Association, said in opening remarks that the world has entered an era in which “security is industry, and industry is security.” He said trilateral industrial cooperation could become “the most powerful industrial alliance in human history” and reshape global industry.
Lee Hyung-hee, vice chairman of the Seoul Chamber of Commerce and Industry and vice chairman of SK, said South Korea should build strategic ties with U.S. big tech companies around its strengths in semiconductors. In energy, he cited joint South Korea-Japan investment in U.S. LNG and cooperation on SMRs as practical steps that could improve supply stability and industrial competitiveness.
Lee said companies would be better positioned if the government more boldly laid the groundwork for cooperation and provided targeted support. “The government needs to open barriers that are difficult to overcome through private-sector efforts alone,” he said.
Yeo Han-koo, trade minister at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said the Middle East crisis shows energy volatility can threaten industrial stability and national security. With AI driving “explosive” growth in electricity demand, he said securing a stable power supply is critical.
Yeo said South Korean companies are expanding investment in key U.S. industries such as semiconductors, batteries and electric vehicles, making bilateral cooperation “no longer a choice but a necessity.” He said that cooperation could also help drive a broader rebound in U.S. manufacturing, including shipbuilding, civilian nuclear power and energy.
He called on the three countries to build a successful model in advanced manufacturing, forge an innovation partnership for the AI era and strengthen an energy security alliance.
In a keynote address, Sung Yun-mo, a distinguished professor at Chung-Ang University, said U.S.-China competition is unlikely to end soon and that South Korea must secure “irreplaceable” core technologies in semiconductors, AI and future vehicles.
Sung said China is expanding its ecosystem around homegrown AI, and argued South Korea needs cooperation that combines its hardware capabilities with U.S. data platforms, financial investment and talent, along with Japan’s global supply chains.
On energy, he said South Korea and Japan face instability in energy supply and therefore need supply cooperation with the United States, which has greater energy autonomy. He said South Korea should strengthen core technology and manufacturing competitiveness in the energy industry to exercise strategic autonomy.
During a panel discussion, Kwon Seok-jun, a professor of chemical engineering at Sungkyunkwan University, said the first step in trilateral cooperation should be resolving a “memory bottleneck.” He said South Korea has a strong base in memory manufacturing, Japan has strengths in packaging and manufacturing, and combining those with U.S. design technologies and AI-specialized models could create a powerful shared platform.
Cho Hong-jong, a professor of economics at Dankook University, said trilateral coordination is needed in energy security to prevent “China’s monopoly and productivity.” He proposed a fast-track system for cooperation on rapid licensing and permitting for SMRs. Cho said cooperation should combine U.S. foundational technology, Japan’s precision parts and finance, and South Korea’s construction and equipment capabilities, adding that regulations are an obstacle and that a fast track could support joint entry into third countries.
About 120 people attended, including Choi; Lee; Yeo; James Heller, chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul; James Kim, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea; Sung; and Ahn Se-hyun, dean of the College of Economics and Public Affairs at the University of Seoul.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.