Minister Skinnari visits South Korea
Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will visit South Korea on 15–19 June.
The aim of the visit is to strengthen the commercial and economic relations between Finland and South Korea. The visit will be hosted by South Korean Minister for Trade Yoo Myung-hee. This will be their first bilateral meeting.
During the visit, Minister Skinnari will discuss, among other things, cooperation in science and research with Minister of Science and ICT Lim Hye-sook, and regional climate questions with former UN Secretary General, climate advocate Ban Ki-moon.
There will be also other high-level meetings with ministers and representatives of business and industry. In these meetings, the aim is to discuss prospects for cooperation in the commercial and economic, startup and ICT sectors as well as other topical matters. Business Finland and Finnish companies have put together a list of key questions related to efforts to boost business operations.
South Korea is the fourth biggest economy in Asia and the tenth biggest economy in global comparisons. The country is particularly well known for its strong electronics sector. In the framework of its Green New Deal recovery plan, South Korea is currently investing heavily on green economy and digitalisation. The New Deal aims to bolster green growth especially by means of implementing energy sector and infrastructure reforms.
In addition, South Korea wants to promote digitalisation extensively in several sectors. Information networks, the use of data, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital services are at the heart of the digital transition. The Government of South Korea aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
“Based on an OECD survey among its members, the South Korean economy has managed best in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. There are several examples of common interests that are shared by Finland and South Korea, including technology, digital services, and climate-sustainable solutions for various sectors. The priorities of South Korea’s Green New Deal, digitalisation and green growth, offer plenty of opportunities for Finnish companies,” Skinnari says.
Inquiries:
Juha Niemi, Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister, tel. +358 295 350 232
Soile Kauranen, Counsellor, Department for the Americas and Asia (Japan and South Korea), tel. +358 295 350 194
The email addresses of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are in the format [email protected]