Korea and Japan to construct next-generation energy supply network

During their visit to San Francisco for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will have discussions about collaborative efforts to establish a global supply chain for hydrogen and ammonia, which are considered next-generation energy sources during a lecture at Stanford University on Friday (local time). The leaders of Korea and Japan had a separate bilateral summit on Thursday in San Francisco, marking the seventh meeting between them since the normalization of Korea-Japan relations in March. With the leaders of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan actively fostering regional economic and security cooperation through trilateral efforts, the Yoon Suk Yeol government faces the diplomatic challenge of ensuring stable management of South Korean-China relations.

According to the President’s Office, the leaders of Korea and Japan are scheduled to participate in a roundtable discussion at Stanford University on Friday, focusing on ‘Korea-Japan and Korea-U.S.-Japan advanced technology cooperation.’ The Asahi Shimbun has reported that Prime Minister Kishida is anticipated to unveil a government policy, outlining an investment of more than 150 trillion yen (approximately 1,292 trillion won) over the next decade for the development of next-generation energy in alignment with the decarbonization policy. As both countries heavily rely on energy imports and earnestly pursue clean energy policies, the establishment of a collaborative supply chain for decarbonized fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia is expected to be a key outcome of their discussions.

Furthermore, on the same day, leaders of three countries including U.S. President Joe Biden, convened for approximately 10 minutes to enhance collaboration on unresolved regional issues. Biden expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thanks to President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida, I have significantly eased the challenges associated with fulfilling my responsibilities as the President of the U.S.”


Kwan-Seok Jang jks@donga.com