Clean industrial and digital sovereignty: strategic alliances between the EU and South Korea in a shifting geo-economic landscape

Breakfast conversation – 14 October 2025, 08:30-10:00 (Brussels time, CEST)

Format | In person

Venue | FES Competence Centre Climate and Social Justice, Cours Saint Michel 30e, 1040 Brussels[Merode Metro Station]

Background

The global order is rapidly transforming in a very challenging way, marked by geopolitical rivalry, a new trade (dis)order, and the rise of geo-economic industrial policy disputes. In this turbulent environment, the European Union and South Korea, two vibrant democracies and technological middle powers, share a critical challenge:

• How do they safeguard their prosperity and autonomy in a context of great power competition between the USA and China?
• What strategic roles do play the digital sectors and the sectors of clean energy and industries for the EU and Korea in the global dimension?
• How can a deeper alliance between the two strengthen their positions?

For the conversation about these questions we will be hosting Mr Heungchong Kim, Professor at the Graduate School of International Studies, Korea University, and Adjunct Senior Fellow at the ASAN Institute for Policy Studies. He is also a former President of the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy. Prof Kim has recently published with our Seoul office a policy brief about deepening the EU-ROK economic relationship.

Agenda:

08h15
Doors, coffee and breakfast buffet

08h30
Welcome: Claudia Detsch, Director, FES Competence Centre for Climate and Social Justice

08h35
Conversation with Heungchong Kim, Professor at the Graduate School of International Studies, Korea University, and Adjunct Senior Fellow at the ASAN Institute for Policy Studies
and invited guests (8-10 experts from EU institutions, think tanks, civil society and business representations)

Facilitation: Stephan Thalhofer, Policy Advisor, FES Just Climate

10h00
End

Contact: Stephan Thalhofer, FES (Stephan.Thalhofer(at)fes.de)