Singapore, March 2 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is set to hold summit talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Monday, with the two leaders expected to discuss ways to expand cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI), nuclear energy and other areas.
The meeting will mark the second summit between Lee and Wong in four months, following their previous talks during Wong's visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, where the two countries upgraded their bilateral ties to a strategic partnership.
Ahead of the summit, Lee was welcomed by Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, ceremonial head of state, at an official ceremony and attended a naming ceremony for "Vanda Lee Jae Myung Kim Hea Kyung," an orchid hybrid named after Lee and the first lady to honor Lee's state visit.
"The summit is expected to solidify existing bilateral cooperation in trade, investment and infrastructure and broaden collaboration in promising sectors such as AI and nuclear power," presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing.
To help lay the groundwork for cooperation, the two nations plan to sign five memorandums of understanding (MOUs) in areas including AI, small modular reactors, and digital and science and technology, Kang said.
Following the talks, Lee and Wong will jointly announce their agreement to begin negotiations to upgrade the bilateral free trade agreement, which entered into force in 2006 and currently covers goods and services, Yonhap news agency reported.
As part of efforts to further deepen AI cooperation, Lee will attend the AI Connect Summit, a bilateral business forum involving entrepreneurs and business leaders in the field.
AI is one of the key areas of cooperation between the Asian tech powerhouses. South Korea is strong in semiconductors, data center infrastructure and manufacturing AI, while Singapore has advanced AI governance and regulation and serves as a hub for AI data in Southeast Asia.
--IANS
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