[INTERVIEW] Dutch foreign minister sees Korea as an "indispensable partner"

Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot [THE DUTCH MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot says that Korea is a crucial partner in protecting and promoting the Netherlands' chip industry, underscoring the two countries' key roles in the extremely high-tech yet sensitive segment that concerns national security.

“The Republic of Korea is crucial part of our strategy,” said the minister in an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague, the administrative capital of the Netherlands, on Nov. 8, ahead of President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to the European country next week.

“Both the Republic of Korea and the Netherlands face the same challenges in the field of workforce development for current operations and research and development (R&D) for next-generation technologies to stay ahead.”

To that end, Bruins Slot expects a number of partnerships to be signed at the upcoming four-day state visit by Korean President Yoon scheduled between Dec. 11 to 14.

The visit, which was made upon the invitation of Dutch King Willem-Alexander, will mark the first state visit from Korea to the Netherlands since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1961.

“During the state visit, we would like to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on strengthening the exchange of knowledge and talent within the semiconductor industry,” she said.

“We would also like to implement a government-to-government working group on semiconductors to discuss and exchange views on policies that promote semicon, investment plans and best practices regarding cooperating with the private sector in integrating their knowledge of supply chains in monitoring high-risk strategic dependencies.”

The Netherlands holds a unique, yet powerful position in the global semiconductor industry, as it houses a number of valuable chip powerhouses represented by ASML, which almost exclusively manufactures lithography machines that are essential in making advanced chips.

Korea's Samsung Electronics also boasts close affinity to the company, having acquired 3 percent of ASML shares back in 2012. Its executive chairman, Lee Jae-yong, is reported to be joining the presidential delegation in his upcoming state visit and to be making a stop at the ASML headquarters in Veldhoven to further discuss their cooperation.

The Netherlands wishes to maintain a unique position through its “promote-protect-partner” strategy.

“Protection through export controls and promoting through stimulating a good investment climate and by supporting and creating favorable conditions for startups and scale-ups,” the minister said.

The Dutch government released a set of export sanctions on chip tools in June, siding with the United States and Japan in efforts to cut China off from advanced chip technology amid an apparent rivalry between the United States and China around chip technology supremacy. The regulations, which went into effect in September, require Dutch chip firms like ASML to get approval from the government when exporting select machineries.

“I believe in open trade, but we shouldn’t simply keep on trading openly with all countries in all sectors without considering the consequences,” Bruins Slot said.

“Our approach is to be open where possible and protect where necessary. We made our Dutch export control measures in September 2023. We have given careful consideration before we made this decision and drafted ministerial orders as precisely as we could. This way, we can address the most important vulnerabilities without causing unnecessary disruption to global manufacturers of chips. The Netherlands bears extra responsibility in this regard, because we have a unique leading position in the field.”

Regarding recent findings that China used ASML's equipment in its chipmaking process despite export curbs, Bruins Slot said, “ASML does a great deal to keep its valuable technology secure” and that additional measures that took effect in September are “adequate” for achieving its “national security objective.”

Bruins Slot expects that Korean President Yoon's upcoming state visit will be an opportunity to cement the two countries' elevated relationship in various fields. Korea and the Netherlands boosted their bilateral ties with a strategic partnership last year when Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte visited Korea.

“Of course, we are complimentary in the semiconductor value chain, and there are also very much other fields of cooperation, such as agriculture and renewable energies and so on,” she said.

“And we must not forget also culture, because we see in the Netherlands, there's a lot more students studying Korean language and culture these days. So it would be really great to welcome further people-to-people exchanges between our countries.”

In fact, next year's number of applicants for Korean Studies at Leiden University, one of the most prestigious institutions in the Netherlands, is expected to surpass that of applicants to Japanese Studies for the first time since the subject was created in 1947.

“Priorities for the state visit also include political consultations, cooperation on defense and security and strengthening of the strong trade ties between the Republic of Korea and the Netherlands,” the minister said.

“We see interest of the Republic of Korea in our pension system and also our employment regulations. We are happy to share our experience and practices in that field.”

Nuclear power is another sector where the Netherlands expects to collaborate with Korea.

Last year, the Netherlands announced it would build two more nuclear power plants by 2030 to achieve its energy transition goal. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) is one of three companies the Dutch government is considering working with.

“We are interested in the technology of KHNP and APR 1400 reactors,” Bruins Slot said. “We are also looking forward to understanding more about the potential approach that KHNP may take in building a nuclear power plant.”

APR 1400 is a nuclear reactor developed with Korea's home grown technology.

Although Korea and the Netherlands stands on the opposite side of the globe, Bruins Slot believes the two countries have become “indispensable partners” in terms of security, innovation and trade.

Bruins Slot, in fact, admitted that Korea has acted as an “inspiration” to the Netherlands in the speed and success with which it has found democracy and economic progress.

“The Netherlands shares the innovative entrepreneurial spirit with the Republic of Korea and the belief that together we contribute to a more secure and advanced world,” she said.

“We would like the Republic of Korea to think of the Netherlands as a true like-minded partner on the Eurasian continent.”

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]