SK Chairman and Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chey Tae-won, reiterated the necessity of establishing a Korea-Japan economic community. He believes that only by achieving economic integration similar to that at the EU level can Korea and Japan compete on a more level playing field with major global economies. On September 8th, Chey stated, "Korea and Japan combined could form an economic sphere worth approximately $6 trillion, ranking fourth globally in economic size."
He indicated that establishing a Korea-Japan economic community would also bring significant cost advantages. "Both countries face heavy fiscal burdens due to low birth rates and aging populations," Chey said. "If we can connect our markets and share key infrastructure and services, we can reduce basic costs and foster new industries and services." Chey pointed out that, most importantly, if the two countries can jointly plan energy procurement, storage, and use, even a 3% to 5% reduction in related costs would have a significant impact. He also noted the need for the two countries to connect power transmission lines and natural gas pipelines to facilitate future energy exchange. He further revealed that the SK Group is in ongoing discussions with Japanese companies regarding cooperation in the field of AI, specifically mentioning NTT and Tokyo Electron.
