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Korea, Britain to hold high-level economic talks on AI, biotech

Published: 18 Aug. 2025, 14:59

Catherine West, parliamentary under secretary of state for the Indo-Pacific at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in Britain, is pictured in this photo provided by the British Embassy in Seoul. [BRITISH EMBASSY SEOUL]

Senior diplomats of Korea and Britain will hold high-level economic talks in Seoul on Monday to discuss ways to bolster cooperation in AI, biotech and other areas, according to the British Embassy in Seoul.

The Senior Economic Dialogue will be co-chaired by Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina and Catherine West, parliamentary under secretary of state for the Indo-Pacific at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in Britain.

The talks are aimed to "unlock new opportunities" for cooperation in AI, clean energy and biotechnology, the embassy said in a release. West arrived in Seoul on Monday for a two-day visit.

The move comes as President Lee Jae Myung and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed to upgrade a bilateral FTA by the end of this year on the sidelines of the Group of 7 summit in Canada in June.

During the stay, West will meet Second Deputy National Security Adviser Lim Woong-soon to discuss regional security and support for Ukraine. She will visit the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas and meet with North Korean defectors, according to the embassy.

Yonhap