Forum on cooperation between Colombia and Korea announced: find out how to participate

Currently, humanity faces major global challenges, such as climate change, poverty, the technological gap, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, pandemics, among others. In order to jointly address this new global paradigm of challenges, The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Colombia has the honor to announce the holding of the Substantial Cooperation Forum between Korea and Colombiawhich will take place next Wednesday, October 4 at the Chapinero Headquarters of the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce.

Among the central topics of this forum are the energy transition towards the use of hydrogen, future mobility and development in the naval industry. The event will feature the participation of the mayor of the city of Busan, Park Hyeong-jun, as well as the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Germán Umaña, who will offer a few words of congratulation. The closing remarks will be given by the Minister of Mines and Energy of Colombia, Andrés Camacho.

The forum will be divided into three sessions, in which they will participate 16 experts from both countries, who will act as panelists in each of the sessions.

Substantial Cooperation in the Naval Sector

The first session will focus on cooperation plans in the field of shipbuilding, both in the creation of new vessels and in the repair of existing ones. Competitiveness in research and development (R&D), design, as well as the development of an advanced industrial ecosystem and high-quality production, place Korea as a global reference in this field. Korean shipyards have the ability to manufacture a wide range of vessels, ranging from cargo ships and passenger ships to fishing vessels, icebreakers, submarines, liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels and drilling platforms.

Korea’s shipbuilding industry is among the country’s most prominent sectors, along with the steel industry, oil refining, semiconductor manufacturing, battery production, display manufacturing, automotive industry, and information technology. information. Cooperation between Korea and Colombia in this sector promises significant results by combining Korea’s advanced naval technology, its consolidated industrial ecosystem and its commercial experience, with Colombia’s strategic location and its workforce.

The Korean government, through the KOICA agency, has been supporting the formulation of a medium and long-term plan aimed at establishing a solid foundation for Colombia’s naval industry.

Cooperation for the hydrogen economy

Currently, humanity faces a major crisis known as climate change. In this context, moving towards carbon neutrality is presented as an irreversible and imperative path. If we join forces and consider this crisis as an opportunity, we can overcome these challenges for the benefit of our sustainable development.

One of the key policies promoted by President Petro’s government is the energy transition. Colombia has favorable conditions for the development of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind. Around the world, countries are joining forces to lead an economy based on green hydrogen, taking advantage of renewable energy. In this regard, Korea is taking a proactive and collaborative approach, involving industry, academia and government in the search and development of new technologies at all stages of the hydrogen value chain, including production, storage , transportation and its use.

Korea faces the need to acquire four million tons of green hydrogen by 2030 and 30 million tons by 2050, a large part of which will have to be imported from foreign markets. Therefore, Korea emerges as a strategic partner for Colombia in the era of the hydrogen-based economy, offering opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation for both nations.

Cooperation for Future Mobility

The third session of the forum will present cooperation plans in the field of future mobility. Commonly, when talking about future mobility, we tend to think only about electric vehicles with low carbon emissions and hydrogen vehicles, leaving aside vehicles with internal combustion engines. However, future mobility is not limited to just these aspects, but also encompasses autonomous cars, drones and urban air mobility (UAM), as well as transportation methods such as ride-hailing, ride-sharing and smart logistics.

Korea has ambitious plans that include transforming its public transportation system into a fully autonomous one by 2027 and promoting the commercialization of fully autonomous vehicles for general use in the same year. In addition, the aim is to launch the first urban aviation service (UAM) in the world after 2025. Although in Colombia the UAM service may still seem very far away, I consider that this type of services are essential for a country with the geographical characteristics of Colombia, which faces challenges in infrastructure development.

The implementation of UAM services will have an unimaginable impact on our lifestyle and urban development planning. We hope that Korea’s progress in preparing for the future era of mobility can inspire transportation policy in Colombia. Furthermore, I understand that President Petro has highlighted on multiple occasions the revitalization of the railway business as a response to climate change.

It is worth highlighting that Korea has outstanding competitiveness in railway projects and a highly developed railway industry ecosystem that ranks among the top five in the world. In the future, it could become an excellent partner for Colombia in the construction of railway infrastructure, as well as in the training of human resources and the creation of a railway industry ecosystem.

The Minister of Transportation, William Camargo, participated in the GICC meeting held in Seoul on September 19 and 20 and said a bilateral meeting with his Korean counterpart to explore possible forms of concrete cooperation in the field of transportation infrastructure in the future. We hope that practical cooperation will take place between both countries in areas such as railways, ports, airport infrastructure, among others.

Those interested in participating in the Forum can register here.

PARK SUN TAE