The seventh meeting of the European Union (EU) - the Republic of Korea (Korea) Joint Committee on Scientific and Technological (S&T) Cooperation took place in Seoul on 14 February 2022 under the co-chairmanship of Director-General of the Directorate General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission (EC), Mr. Jean-Eric Paquet, and Vice Minister of Science and ICT (MSIT), Republic of Korea, Mr. Yong Hongtaek. The meeting, conducted in hybrid mode with both physical and virtual participation, was attended by high level Korean officials from  MSIT, Korean Research Centres, Science Counsellors from Member States and EU officials.

In the meeting the EU side informed about Europe’s Strategy for the Global Approach to R&I, the fundamental values and principles for international cooperation, with Ethics, Gender and Open Science as examples, the Digital Partnership, Mission Innovation, the European One Health antimicrobial (OH AMR) partnership, the Joint Research Centre cooperation with Korean Research Institutes and Human Development actions.

Both sides indicated interest to cooperate with each other in developing green technologies (e.g. hydrogen energy) through a variety of multilateral activities, including exchanges between researchers and other stakeholders.

Vice Minister Yong announced that Korea will begin official talks with the EU on Korea joining the Horizon Europe program as an associated country, as he delivered to Director-General Paquet the Letter of Intent signed by the Minister Lim Hye-sook of Science and ICT addressed to Commissioner Mariya Gabriel for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, expressing Korea's intention to start discussing Korea's membership in the Horizon Europe program as an associated country.