Korea and Japan are seeking to resume director-level shipbuilding talks this year after the consultation channel was suspended in 2019. Japan is reported to have requested the restart.
The bilateral meeting was established in 1985 by Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, then the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
Director-level shipbuilding talks were held once or twice a year, with 39 meetings taking place through May 2018.
The consultation was suspended in 2019 after bilateral relations deteriorated. Japan removed Korea from its export-screening whitelist following a Korean Supreme Court ruling on compensation for forced labor.
The proposed resumption comes as China continues to expand its influence in the global shipbuilding industry. Korea and Japan are reported to see a growing need to exchange views on industry issues and identify areas for cooperation.
The two countries have different strengths across shipping and shipbuilding. Japan has capabilities in shipping and shipbuilding equipment technologies developed through its long industrial track record. Korea has strengths in ship production methods, construction competitiveness and gas carriers, including liquefied natural gas carriers.
An official from Korea’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) said the two countries face similar immediate challenges despite differences in scale and that cooperation could focus on areas where their respective strengths differ.
Other bilateral working-level channels have already resumed. Steel consultations that were suspended in 2019 restarted in 2024.
Korea’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry now hold annual discussions, alternating between the two countries, on steel market conditions, regulations and anti-dumping issues.
Working-level gas consultations involving officials from the two ministries are also being held almost monthly by video.
