Today, May 19, 2023, the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) convened in Seoul for the 11th Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) on science and technology to further strengthen the partnership between our scientific communities.

Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Arati Prabhakar co-chaired the discussion with ROK Minister of Science and ICT (MSIT) Lee Jong-Ho. Among other things, Director Prabhakar reinforced our mutual responsibility to work together to achieve our shared aspirations.

JCM topics focused on key science and technology policy and research priorities, including: next-generation semiconductors; fusion and nuclear physics; biotechnology; artificial intelligence; climate change; polar and marine sciences; and enhancing global S&T cooperation through research security and research integrity, researcher mobility, data sharing, and cooperation on measurement standards.

The U.S. delegation was comprised of leaders and experts from OSTP, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the U.S. Department of State. The participating ROK institutions included the Ministry of Science & ICT (MSIT), Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE), Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology (KRIBB), Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST), Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), Office of the President, National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT), National NanoFab Center (NNFC), Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE), KUSCO, and Korea-U.S. Quantum Technology Cooperation Center.

The JCM was convened under the bilateral Agreement Relating to Scientific and Technical Cooperation between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Korea, which was updated and renewed in February 2023 by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and ROK Foreign Minister Park Jin.

As President Biden and President Yoon recognized during their 2022 and 2023 Summit meetings, U.S. and ROK scientists, researchers, and engineers are among the most innovative in the world. Strong partnership in science and technology cooperation—including vibrant people-to-people exchange—is critical to advancing both countries’ economic aims, and reflects both countries’ pivotal role as global leaders.

The United States and Republic of Korea prioritize research and development that benefits our citizens and is rooted in a shared commitment to foundational scientific values and principles, including openness, transparency, honesty, equity, fair competition, objectivity, and democratic values.

This JCM reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to continue close partnership and coordination on science and technology cooperation.

An associated roundtable on quantum information sciences was hosted at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology on May 17, wherein members of the U.S. delegation from NIST and DOS were joined by a U.S. Department of State Science Envoy and the Executive Director of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C).

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