Korea, China urged to deepen tech cooperation despite intensifying competition

Korea and China should seek deeper cooperation in emerging technologies despite growing competition and worsening global fragmentation, scholars said Tuesday, arguing that no country can dominate the next wave of innovation alone. The remarks came at the Gather in Shenzhen forum at Hanyang University in Seoul, part of a three-day event organized by Shenzhen Media Group ahead of this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Shenzhen. Speaking at a session on technology innovation, Lee Hee-ok, emeritus dean of Sungkyun Institute of China Studies, said Korea's ambition to become one of the world's top three artificial intelligence (AI) powers would require strategic investment and international collaboration. "Every country today is moving within a similar framework of competition," Lee pointed out. "No country can win in every field." Instead, Korea should focus on becoming a "strategic linchpin" — ensuring that the global technology ecosystem cannot function without Korean capabilities, he said. Lee said Korea's strengths lie in memory semiconductors and precision man