Korea opens quantum talks with 13 nations to push industrial ties

South Korea's science ministry said Wednesday it opened the ninth Multilateral Dialogue on Quantum in Seoul, bringing together policy officials and companies from 13 countries to push quantum technology from research cooperation toward industrial collaboration.

The three-day event, which runs through Friday, pairs the government-to-government talks with a business night on Wednesday afternoon at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, drawing about 300 participants including delegation members, executives and academics, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT.

First Vice Minister Koo Hyuk-chae said strengthening international ties is the way to speed up commercialization. "To accelerate the industrialization of quantum technology, we must further strengthen international cooperation that links each country's research capabilities and industrial strengths," he said. "Just as the semiconductor industry has grown through international division of labor and cooperation, collaboration that connects technology, talent and supply chains is important in the quantum industry."

The dialogue, known as MDQ, is an intergovernmental body where policy officials from major economies discuss research and development and industrialization cooperation. It began in the United States in 2022, and Korea joined in 2023. It now has 13 members, including the United States, Britain, Japan and France.

The main sessions on Thursday and Friday at the Jeongdong 1928 Art Center will cover each country's latest policies and progress, along with a presentation and discussion of the OECD's quantum technology recommendation issued in May 2026.

On the sidelines, the ministry will hold bilateral working talks with six countries — the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Japan and Finland — on joint research, personnel exchanges, manufacturing and industrial cooperation. Delegations will also visit the Pangyo Quantum Industry Ecosystem Support Center to explore links between Korea's industrial base and overseas institutions.

At the business night, major quantum companies including IBM, Quandela, Norma and Qunova will present applications of quantum computing in drug discovery, new materials, chemicals, finance and industrial processes, as well as ways to combine artificial intelligence and high-performance computing to solve industrial problems.

Lee Soon-chil, a program director for the K-Moonshot initiative and an emeritus professor of physics at KAIST, will present flagship projects planned from 2027, including a challenge to build a domestic quantum computer and a quantum-AI convergence research program.

The government plans to raise domestic quantum competitiveness through seven SEED projects and K-Moonshot, and to expand global cooperation by combining overseas research and technology capabilities with Korea's semiconductor, electronics and manufacturing base.