South Korea, China agree to widen traditional medicine research and AI cooperation

The health ministry said Thursday that South Korea and China agreed to expand joint research, researcher exchanges and AI and data cooperation in traditional medicine, signing a memorandum of understanding at the 19th Korea-China Traditional Medicine Cooperation Committee in Seoul.

Thursday's session was led on the Korean side by Chung Kyung-sil, head of the ministry's health and medical policy office, and on the Chinese side by Lu Jianwei, deputy head of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The committee is a consultative body between the Ministry of Health and Welfare and China's National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, set up after the April 1994 summit between the two countries and first convened in 1995; it has met alternately in the two countries, with the 18th session held in Beijing last year.

The agreement covers sharing clinical and academic experience, international joint research and researcher exchanges; building a cooperation framework for artificial intelligence and data; and strengthening global cooperation on traditional medicine, including joint international-standard projects.

"Through cooperation between the two countries, we will expand academic and research exchanges in the fields of Korean and Chinese medicine and produce practical results in various areas, including AI, data and international cooperation," Chung said.