South Korea and France have decided to operate a working group to strengthen cooperation in the automotive sector. The South Korean government has requested the French government's assistance to ensure that Korean companies are not discriminated against under the European Union's (EU) proposed Industrial Acceleration Act (IAA).
On November 4, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held the 21st Korea-France Industrial Cooperation Committee and the 9th New Industry Technology Cooperation Forum at the Pullman Ambassador Hotel in Seoul. This event was organized to specify the industrial cooperation measures discussed during the President's visit to France in September, with Kim Young-man, Director General of Trade Policy at the Ministry, and Thomas Courbe, Director General of Enterprises at the French Ministry of Economy and Finance, serving as the chief representatives.
South Korea urged France to actively cooperate in ensuring that it is included as a trusted partner country outside the EU in relation to the IAA. The Industrial Acceleration Act includes provisions that apply regional production requirements in public procurement and subsidy support processes within the EU, which could impact the ability of domestic companies to enter the European market.
The Ministry also expressed concerns regarding the joint declaration on automobiles announced by France and Germany on October 16, requesting attention to ensure that Korean-made vehicles do not face disadvantages in future discussions.
Additionally, the two countries agreed to operate a 'Korea-France Automotive Working Group' as a follow-up to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on industrial cooperation signed in September. The working group will discuss topics such as France's electric vehicle subsidy system, automotive supply chains, and industrial cooperation measures.
Earlier, on September 7, Minister Kim Jeong-kwan met with the French Minister of Economy and Finance in Paris, agreeing to establish a ministerial-level 'Korea-France Strategic Industry Dialogue' and to set up working groups in various sectors. At that time, both countries committed to expanding cooperation in industry, trade, and supply chains.
The New Industry Technology Cooperation Forum held concurrently attracted over 200 participants from companies and research institutions in both countries. This year's forum focused on the transition to artificial intelligence in manufacturing (M.AX) and deep tech. Companies from both nations, including Korea & Company, Naver Cloud, Mistral AI, and Thales Korea, shared technological trends and application cases from the industry.
Since 2014, South Korea and France have supported 24 joint research and development projects with 53.1 billion won. The forum also sought new research and development collaboration opportunities through one-on-one technical consultations between companies from both countries.
Kim Young-man stated, "We will actively support joint R&D and market expansion of results by combining Korea's manufacturing data capabilities with France's strengths in AI and deep tech."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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