S. Korea calls for APEC cooperation on energy supply chains, AI

Seoul, Nov. 4 - The South Korean foreign ministry urged stronger collaboration among Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) nations to establish resilient energy supply chains, following the region's susceptibility to geopolitical crises in the Middle East, according to a report by Yonhap news agency. Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina made this appeal during the 37th APEC Ministerial Meeting, which took place via videoconference the day before.

The conference, co-chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, gathered foreign and trade ministers from the 21 APEC member economies to deliberate on strategies for promoting regional cooperation and advancing economic integration.

Kim emphasized the necessity of enhanced cooperation among APEC members to bolster regional energy security and diversify energy sources. Regarding artificial intelligence (AI), Kim advocated for more robust collaboration based on the APEC AI Initiative, which was spearheaded by South Korea at the previous year's APEC summit in Gyeongju.

The minister pledged South Korea's assistance in regional AI development and integration, pledging to build innovation platforms, such as a global AI hub and an Asia-Pacific AI center, to ensure all APEC members can reap the benefits of AI advancements in the years ahead.