Industry minister heads to U.S. for discussions on semiconductors and energy

Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun speaks at a meeting on April 5 in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [YONHAP]

Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun is set to visit the United States on Wednesday to discuss enhancing bilateral ties in next-generation sectors and the energy industry, his office said.

Ahn will pay a two-day visit to Washington through Friday and meet with U.S. officials and lawmakers to discuss cooperation in various fields from semiconductors to clean energy, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

It marks Ahn's first visit to the U.S. since he took office in January.

Ahn plans to mainly discuss with his U.S. counterparts strengthening the technological cooperation between Seoul and Washington, grants for chipmakers and incentives under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, the ministry said.

Ahn is expected to request support for Korean companies regarding U.S. rules on limiting the sourcing of critical minerals and components for electric vehicles from China. He will also discuss the chip export curbs on China in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

In a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, the industry minister plans to discuss cooperation in clean energy industries, such as hydrogen, nuclear power, small modular reactors and renewable energy, to reduce carbon emissions.

The minister will also likely touch upon an ongoing court case involving U.S. energy firm Westinghouse Electric and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) during tenergy talks.

In 2022, Westinghouse Electric filed a suit against KHNP to prevent the Korean company from exporting nuclear power plants to countries under a U.S. export control regulation.

But in September, a U.S. district court dismissed the lawsuit, determining Westinghouse was not qualified to take the legal move as it "lacks a private cause of action."

"The bilateral ties between Korea and the United States have evolved into an alliance on economic security, as well as advanced industries and supply chains," Ahn said, noting Seoul's industry ministry will continue to work to strengthen collaboration with the U.S. departments of commerce and energy.

Yonhap