By Lee Jihae

Science and technology ministers of Korea, Japan and China on Dec. 26 discussed in Seoul science and technology issues common to Northeast Asia and proposals for trilateral cooperation, declaring 2020 the "Year of Cooperation in Science and Technology Innovation among Korea, China and Japan."

Minister of Science and ICT Choi Ki-young, Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang, and Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Koichi Hagiuda on Dec. 26 held the fourth Korea-Japan-China S&T (Science and Technology) Ministerial Meeting at the Plaza Hotel Seoul.

This was the first such meeting since the last in April 2012 in Shanghai, China.

The meeting is designed to jointly utilize science and technology to solve common issues in Northeast Asia such as fine dust, marine pollution and infectious diseases and seek exchanges and cooperation in science and technology. The three sides aim to hold this intergovernmental conference every two years hosted in the order of Korea, Japan and China.

The ministers shared their respective countries' policies toward science and technology, as well as the results of a trilateral seminar based on these policies and a joint A3 Foresight Program.

They also decided to resume Joint Research Cooperation Program, which terminated in 2011, to find responses to fine dust, infectious diseases and earthquakes by utilizing science and technology.

Wang called 2020 the year of "trilateral cooperation in science technology innovation" and proposed joint projects among the three countries.

Choi said, "The year of cooperation in science and technology innovation will provide an opportunity for various entities such as governments, corporations, universities and think tanks to elevate by one step trilateral cooperation in the science and technology sector through joint projects."

Korea and Japan agreed to resume exchanges and cooperation in science and technology and hold bilateral meetings among the related ministers of the two countries through a bilateral director-level consultative body between their science and technology ministries. They also agreed to resume joint research in science and technology and hold related innovation forums.

jihlee08@korea.kr