(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Seong-jin = In a situation where the fragmentation of the global economy is accelerating due to protectionism and supply chain disruption caused by the confrontation between the United States and China, an opportunity was prepared to explore ways for Korea-Japan economic cooperation.
Yonhap News, a national news agency, held the '2026 Future Economy Forum' on the 3rd at The Grand Lotte Seoul, Jung-gu, Seoul, with the theme of 'Fragmented global economy, Korea-Japan market connecting as one'.
About 500 people attended the event, including government, National Assembly, industry, and academic officials, including Lee Jae-jung, chairman of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly, People Power Party lawmaker Joo Ho-young, chairman of the Korea-Japan Parliamentary Union, Ryota Takeda, chairman of the Japan-Korean Parliamentary Federation, Choi Tae-won, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Koo Ja-yeol, chairman of the Korea-Japan Economic Association.
Jin Ok-dong, Chairman of Shinhan Financial Group, Young-joo Ham, Chairman of Hana Financial Group, Jong-ryong Lim, Chairman of Woori Financial Group, Chan-woo Lee, Chairman of Nonghyup Financial Group, and Tsukasa Arita, Managing Director of International Affairs of Japan's Kyodo News, which sponsored the event, also attended the event.
◇ President Hwang Dae-il “Korea-Japan solidarity and cooperation are essential strategies for survival…an opportunity for future generations”
Hwang Dae-il, president of Yonhap News, said in his opening speech, "Solidarity and cooperation between Korea and Japan are essential strategies for survival in a time when the external environment is rapidly changing, such as the breakdown of the multilateral trade system, regional blocs, and strengthening of protectionism."
President Hwang continued, “If the two countries join forces to become the core of a regional economic bloc, it can become a growth engine for the global economy with a large market and strong external bargaining power,” adding, “Technological cooperation and human exchanges will provide greater opportunities for future generations.”
President Lee Jae-myung said in a congratulatory address read by Ki-hong Ki, Senior Secretary to the Blue House, "Recently, the international situation and trade order are fluctuating like never before, and technological innovation, led by artificial intelligence (AI), is fundamentally changing our lives and future."
At the same time, regarding Korea-Japan relations, he emphasized, "During a turning point in the history of civilization, the task of deepening and expanding the scope of cooperation between the two countries is a task of the times that can no longer be postponed."
Joo Ho-young, Chairman of the Korean-Japanese Medical Association, also said in his congratulatory speech, “Economic cooperation between Korea and Japan is no longer an option, but an essential task of the times,” and Takeda, Chairman of the Korean-Japanese Medical Association, responded that “It is necessary for Korea and Japan to cooperate in the fields of energy and advanced technology,” in a time of great change in the international community.
◇ Chairman Chey Tae-won “Let’s create $1 trillion in synergy through Korea-Japan economic solidarity in areas such as AI and semiconductors.”
Chairman Chey Tae-won, who has advocated the need for a 'Korea-Japan economic community', proposed in his congratulatory speech that Korea and Japan create a synergy effect of at least 1 trillion dollars (approximately 1,340 trillion won) through economic cooperation in areas such as AI and semiconductors and common cost reduction.
Chairman Choi said, “The combined gross domestic product of Korea and Japan is $6 trillion, and synergy exceeding $1 trillion is possible through growth and cost reduction.”
Lee Jae-jeong, chairman of the Culture and Culture Committee, Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Mizushima, Chairman Koo Ja-yeol, and Japan-Korea Economic Association Executive Director Toshiaki Uchida also emphasized the need for Korea-Japan cooperation through congratulatory remarks.
◇ Cases of Korea-Japan cooperation between LG U+, Rutten, and Lotte… Lim Hyeong-ju, introduces his 20-year relationship with Japan
The forum was moderated by Waseda University professor Sangjun Park, and three sessions were held in the 'TED' format.
Young-gwan Yoon, chairman of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, who served as the first Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the Roh Moo-hyun administration, argued in the first session, 'From Korea-Japan rivalry to cooperation in the midst of U.S.-China hegemony', that South Korea and Japan should strengthen security cooperation to respond to North Korea's security threats and North Korea-China-Russia solidarity and also hasten the conclusion of the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (ACSA).
Lee Sang-yeop, Chief Technology Officer of LG U+, mentioned voice AI specialized for the national language, autonomous operation of AI-based communication networks, and joint response to 6th generation mobile communication (6G) standardization as tasks for Korea-Japan cooperation.
In the second session, 'The world's four largest economies, Korea-Japan economic community', Lee Se-young, CEO of Rutten Technologies, said, "Korea and Japan need to foster AI startups through large-scale investments," and presented a plan to expand the size of AI-related policy funds in both Korea and Japan to at least 400 trillion won by 2030 as a specific investment plan.
Hiroaki Ishiguro, head of the global strategy division of Lotte Holdings in Japan, said in July that Korea-Japan Lotte Food Company established a joint venture in Singapore to strengthen its presence in the Asian market.
Next, Professor Emeritus Yang Ki-ho of Sungkonghoe University, a Japan expert who served as Consul General in Kobe, looked back on the relationship between the two countries since the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan in 1965, and proposed the establishment of a special committee involving the governments and private sectors of both countries to deepen cooperation on the 30th anniversary of the Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Joint Declaration (2028).
The last session was 'The future of Korea-Japan coexistence...' Under the title ‘Joint response to hyper-aging, K-J culture synergy’, we looked at social and cultural cooperation plans between the two countries.
Haruki Ikumi, a professor at Seigakuin University and a Japanese expert on Korean society, analyzed the reality of both countries facing common social problems such as low birth rate and hyper-aging, and proposed ways to collaborate, such as exporting related technology and know-how to the Asian market.
At the end of the forum, Lim Hyung-joo, a world-renowned pop opera tenor and chairman of the Yongsan Cultural Foundation, shared his personal relationship with Japan that has lasted for over 20 years since his debut in Japan in 2004. Chairman Lim entered Japan and expanded the Korean Wave boom to classical and crossover genres.
Chairman Lim said, “There is a difference in historical awareness between Korea and Japan, but now is the best time to resolve this as the two countries are culturally close.”
This event received high interest from foreign media, with about 10 domestic and foreign media outlets covering the event, including the forum sponsor Kyodo News, Japan's public broadcaster NHK, private broadcasters TBS and TV Tokyo, daily newspapers Asahi Shimbun and Sankei Shimbun, economic newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei), and the U.S. Associated Press and Bloomberg News.
At the entrance to the event venue, the 'Korea-Japan Economic Cooperation Photo Exhibition' was held, looking back on the 60-year history of Korea-Japan economic cooperation.
Photos of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan in 1965, the development of 64K DRAM semiconductors by Samsung Electronics in cooperation with a Japanese company in 1983, and the Netflix animation film 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' produced by Sony Pictures based on K-content last year were displayed and attracted the attention of participants.
