Seoul: Trade ministers of South Korea and Qatar agreed Wednesday to expand the two countries' cooperation in advanced industries, including artificial intelligence (AI) transformation of the manufacturing sector, semiconductor, and biohealth, a Seoul ministry said. Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo met with his Qatari counterpart, Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, in Seoul to discuss ways to expand economic and investment cooperation between the two nations.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Resources stated that the ministers concurred to bolster bilateral cooperation in advanced industries by integrating Seoul's manufacturing capabilities with Qatar's capital and commitment to industrial diversification. In particular, they discussed possible cooperation in the manufacturing AI and robotics sectors with Korea's push for the manufacturing AI transformation (M.AX) initiative.

Yeo also highlighted Korean biopharmaceutical firms' ongoing expansion into Qatar and the potential of local AI chip fabless companies, calling for investment collaboration in such areas. He commended the resilience of Qatar amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, reaffirming Seoul's commitment to energy cooperation with the country.

"Going forward, we will continue to strengthen energy security based on our strategic partnership with Qatar while steadily expanding the scope of bilateral economic cooperation into future industries, such as manufacturing AI and biotechnology," Yeo was quoted as saying.