Lisbon: South Korea and Portugal have engaged in economic talks aimed at strengthening cooperation in the battery industry, as reported by Seoul's foreign ministry on Saturday. The discussions took place during the seventh joint economic committee meeting held in Lisbon on Friday, where Kim Hee-sang, South Korea's deputy foreign minister for economic affairs, met with Joao Ferreira, his Portuguese counterpart, to deliberate on strategies for collaboration. According to Yonhap News Agency, both nations agreed to bolster economic ties in areas such as supply chains, trade, and investment, in order to tackle the growing uncertainties in the global trade environment. The talks emphasized the potential for collaboration in the battery sector, leveraging South Korea's advanced battery manufacturing capabilities alongside Portugal's substantial lithium reserves, a crucial material for battery production.