Upgrading research

José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, said a summit meeting between the European Union and South Korea on 8 November had put “flesh on the bones” of their relationship.

The bones were already substantial, consisting primarily of a 2011 free-trade agreement that remains the deepest and most extensive trade deal struck by the European Union in Asia. The EU calculates that trade liberalisation has contributed to a 24% rise in exports and to the EU’s emergence as the largest investor in South Korea.

While concerns about implementation of the trade agreement persist, the focus of the summit – the first since Park Geun-hye became South Korea’s president in February – was on increasing co-operation in other areas, including research. Increased attention to research was presented as a dovetailing of economic strategies. Barroso described South Korea’s emphasis on a “creative economy” and EU’s “smart, sustainable and inclusive growth” strategy as “complementary concepts”.

The two sides said that their universities and research institutions would increase doctoral and university exchanges and the number of degrees issued jointly by Korean and European institutions.

Computing, telecoms, nanotechnology, space technology and energy emerged from the summit as areas of particular interest.

Park’s decision to visit the EU during her first year in office is seen as a sign of unusual interest in relations with the EU.

Park has already sought to re-shape the geopolitical environment, by initiating a “trust politik”, not just towards North Korea, but also to its neighbours China and Japan.

Andrew Gardner