The South Korean government will launch a working group with the United States for strategic technology cooperation in areas including artificial intelligence (AI) and research security.

The Ministry of Science and ICT said on Friday that Deputy Prime Minister and Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon (배경훈) discussed science and technology cooperation with Michael Kratsios (마이클 크라치오스), head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The ministry said they agreed to launch a working group to implement the Korea-U.S. Technology Prosperity Memorandum of Understanding signed in October last year.

Bae held a bilateral meeting with Kratsios on the sidelines of the 2026 India AI Impact Summit. The agreement aims to strengthen welfare and the economic foundations of both countries and to develop the Korea-U.S. alliance through science and technology cooperation.

Through the working group, the two countries will discuss specific areas of cooperation set out in the October memorandum, including AI, research security, communications innovation, biotechnology, quantum technology, space and basic science research.

The working group will consist of government officials and relevant experts, with South Korea’s science ministry and the U.S. State Department responsible for coordination. It will also include subcommittees to discuss specific technology areas. The results of the working group discussions will be announced at the 12th Korea-U.S. Joint Committee on Science and Technology, scheduled for the second half of this year.

Bae said South Korea and the United States had established a strategic science and technology cooperation relationship through the framework of the technology prosperity memorandum. He said agreeing to operate the working group meant they had begun work to produce tangible cooperation.