South Korea Talks Quantum Cooperation With Canada, UK, EU
South Korea’s science ministry said on July 3 that it held separate round table meetings during the week with government and science representatives from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union to discuss cooperation on quantum science. The talks took place on the sidelines of Quantum Korea 2026, the ministry’s flagship event in central Seoul. Each meeting focused on a different piece of the quantum agenda, from joint research to commercialization to acting on a recent political agreement.
What each partner brought to the table
According to the July 3 report by Yonhap News Agency, the three sessions were run separately, and each had its own emphasis. With Canada, South Korea discussed ways to push joint research and development projects forward and to set up personnel exchanges in the quantum field. The Canadian conversation stayed close to the practical mechanics of getting researchers working together.
The meeting with British officials moved further down the pipeline, toward turning quantum computing into something usable. Discussions there centered on expanding cooperation in commercialization, verification, and standardization of quantum computing technology. Those are the steps that decide whether a working device in a lab becomes a product a customer can trust.
The EU session was tied to a deal already on the books. South Korea and the EU met to work out how to act on an agreement reached during President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to the EU in June, where the two sides committed to expanding joint research and expert exchanges across future industries, quantum among them. The talks were about converting that commitment into concrete plans.
The bigger push behind Quantum Korea 2026
The round tables sat inside a larger gathering. Quantum Korea 2026, hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT, is a three-day event that opened July 2 and ran through July 4 in central Seoul. Its stated purpose is to map global trends in the quantum sector by bringing together researchers, companies, and government officials from around the world.
Holding three separate international meetings during a single home event is a compact way to build ties with several partners at once. Canada, the UK, and the EU each represent a different strength in the global quantum picture, and South Korea used the week to open or deepen a channel with all three.
The ministry framed the meetings as the start of follow-through rather than the end of a conversation. “The government will materialize cooperation in areas such as joint research and commercialization, building on the Quantum Korea event, to actively support our researchers and companies, so their bold endeavors could lead to new growth momentum leading the world market,” it said. The language points at a plan to keep the partnerships moving after the event closes. Whether they produce funded projects and real exchanges is the test that comes next.