President Yoon Suk Yeol on Jan. 19 said in a special address at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, that stronger cooperation and solidarity in the international community is the path toward overcoming challenges and crises that threaten human peace and prosperity.

The Office of the President said that on his second day at the WEF, he proposed strengthening the resilience of global supply chains; making the transition to low carbon; raising global cooperation to bridge the gap in health care; and setting up a digital order that contributes to freedom and prosperity.

He made these points in his special address at the forum's annual meeting under the theme "Solidarity in Action."

"We will align and cooperate with mutually trusted countries in full compliance with the universal rules in order to secure the global supply chain’s stability." he said. "We will contribute to prosperity for all humankind by developing economic and technological ecosystems marked by cooperation and inclusiveness."

"As a key means to bolster our energy security while reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, we must turn our attention to nuclear power and clean hydrogen." he added. He also said that the Republic of Korea "is willing to work with nations that need to tap into nuclear power technology to achieve their carbon neutrality goals."

The president also said, "In particular, we will secure financing for the prevention of and response to pandemic while nurturing workforce in the biotechnology sector to boost vaccine production capacity. Korea will also take the lead in cooperating with other countries to respond to new infectious diseases in the future." On the world's digital gap, he added, "The Korean government is to create the Digital Bill of Rights in Korea, which can contribute to the establishment of a global digital order," and added that "the Digital Bill of Rights in Korea will define the right to enjoy digital technologies as a universal right of humanity, and propose the basic principles to resolve novel issues that may arise in an era of great digital transformation."

"Our modern history has proven to us that an unwavering spirit of solidarity to protect and expand freedom is the most powerful force to overcome a crisis." he said, repeatedly emphasizing "stronger solidarity" and "solidarity in action" with the international community.

In the afternoon, the president visited ETH Zürich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) in Zurich for talks with quantum scientists there.

"Interest in the quantum sector is growing by the day, with the winners of last year's Nobel Prize for Physics coming from the ranks of quantum technology researchers," he said. "With huge interest in quantum technology from each country and company, the time for the technology to bloom is approaching. Korea has also designated quantum technology a national strategic technology and is focusing its capacity at the national level."

"Korea has the capacity to quickly secure technology while reducing trial and error based on its R&D experience so far. Using this, we will strive to contribute to desirable development of humankind in the future via quantum technology in the international community through solidarity and cooperation with each country in the world."

The presidential office said the event's purpose was to discuss trends in quantum technology development with scholars in the field at ETH Zürich, a world-renowned think tank, and seek strategies to help Korea emerge as a world power in the sector, which is expected to become a game changer within the next 10 years.

Attending the dialogue were ETH Zürich Rector Günther Dissertori and other quantum experts from the institute including professors Andreas Wallraff and Klaus Ensslin.

korea.net