Science ministry joins 13-nation quantum talks in Seoul

The science ministry said Tuesday that South Korea is hosting the sixth Quantum Development Group meeting in Seoul, bringing together government delegations from 13 countries to build a safe and trusted quantum ecosystem.

The two-day meeting, which opened Tuesday and runs through Wednesday, is led on the Korean side by Park Jong-han, economic diplomacy coordinator at the foreign ministry, heading a delegation drawn from the foreign and science ministries. The participating countries are Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Canada, Sweden, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

Member countries are sharing major activities carried out since the fifth meeting in London across three areas — protection, investment and standardization — and are discussing how to cooperate going forward. In the protection area, participants shared best practices for strengthening research security. On investment, they are discussing ways to improve the investment environment and expand exchanges between investors and companies. In standardization, the group will consult on international standardization cooperation.

The Quantum Development Group was launched in July 2024 under U.S. leadership as an international consultative body promoting cooperation on the responsible development and commercialization of quantum technology. Korea participates as a co-lead in the investment area alongside the United Kingdom and Denmark.

On the second day, the foreign ministry will hold an industry-linked event, "Partnering with Industry," involving industry associations, quantum technology developers and buyers. The program features a presentation on Korean quantum technology use cases and two panel discussions. Participants include the Korea Quantum Industry Association, Megazone Cloud, LG Electronics, SDT, SK Telecom, IBM Korea and Quandela Korea, along with companies and associations from the United States, Finland, Australia and Denmark.

"There is a need to strengthen economic security cooperation among QDG member countries while promoting research cooperation based on trust and expanding cooperation between private companies," Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jin-a said in her opening remarks.

Koo Hyuk-chae, first vice minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, said in his welcoming address that with quantum technology standing at the threshold of industrialization, it is important to organically connect the strengths held by each country and company.