US, South Korea Recognize Quantum Information Science as Critical, Emerging Technology

The United States and South Korea forged a partnership for the development of quantum information science and technology, according to a joint statement released by the two countries after a meeting between Arati Prabhakar, chief science adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, and Lee Jong-ho, Korean minister for science and information and communication technologies. The potential uses of quantum computing extend to various disciplines, including medical research, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cryptography, simulations and climate change, the U.S. Department of State said.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul said allies and technological leaders like the U.S. and South Korea should build technology innovations and prevent critical technologies from supporting the Chinese government’s human rights abuses or its military.

More than the goal of establishing quantum-enabled economies, both countries stressed the intention to jointly pursue QIST for the peace and prosperity of their citizens through public awareness campaigns, apprenticeships for their workforce, research and educational initiatives, skills building and reskilling programs.