by BERNAMA/ pic credit: Yonhap

BUSAN • South Korea’s Industry Ministry said yesterday it has agreed with the Asean member states to launch a body, which is devoted to seeking industrial and technology cooperation, Yonhap news agency reported.

“As Asean is composed of 10 countries with different levels of economic and technology, we need to deal carefully with various demands for cooperation,” Industry Minister Sung Yun-mo (picture) said at a meeting with reporters in the port city of Busan, 450km southeast of Seoul.

The remark came during the two-day special group summit between South Korea and 10 countries of Asean, which kicked off in the city earlier yesterday.

South Korea’s Industry Ministry said the new platform could pave the way for the country to expand ties with Asean countries on different levels.

It added that the country could implement projects to beef up the competitiveness of Vietnamese firms based on its advanced technologies.

South Korea could also seek after further progress with countries that already have a high technological level, such as Singapore.

In a separate move, South Korea vowed to work with Asean to establish a joint research centre for standardisation.

“If South Korea and Asean set up standards for the Industrial Revolution 4.0 together, the two parties can vitalise trade more than ever and create new opportunities for the future,” Sung said.

“South Korea will share its standards and related know-how (with Asean members), which will help in improving the quality of the products sold in the market, eventually leading to shared growth and prosperity,” Sung added. — Bernama