How South Korea and Netherlands Are Pioneering Semiconductor and AI Collaboration in 2026

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President Lee Jae‑myung spoke by phone with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, and the two agreed to strengthen cooperation in advanced industries.

President Lee wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on the afternoon of May 7 that he was “very pleased to have spoken with Prime Minister Rob Jetten of the Netherlands for the first time,” and he summarized their discussion.

He noted that since establishing diplomatic relations in 1961, the two countries have built a robust partnership across many fields over 65 years, adding that cooperation in semiconductors is particularly prominent and holds enormous potential.

He emphasized that continued collaboration between South Korea, a leading semiconductor manufacturer, and the Netherlands, which has strengths in advanced semiconductor equipment, could make a significant contribution to stabilizing the global semiconductor supply chain.

He said it was meaningful to exchange candid views with Prime Minister Jetten on a range of issues, including tensions in the Middle East, and pledged that Seoul and The Hague would communicate more closely to broaden the scope of bilateral cooperation.

Earlier, senior Blue House spokesman Kang Yoo‑jung said in a written briefing that President Lee had called for deepened semiconductor cooperation and urged exploring ways to expand practical collaboration in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technologies during the call with Prime Minister Jetten.

Kang added that the president noted this year marks the 65th anniversary of Korea–Netherlands diplomatic relations and praised how the strategic partnership between the two countries has developed on a mutually beneficial basis.

Kang said Prime Minister Jetten echoed those views, expressing hope that—while maintaining strong cooperation in the strategically important semiconductor sector—the two countries could also deepen collaboration in areas such as batteries and offshore wind.

Rob Jetten, leader of the Netherlands’ centrist‑left party Democrats 66 (D66), became prime minister on Feb. 23. Born in 1987, he is the youngest prime minister in Dutch history and the country’s first openly gay head of government.

In last October’s snap election, Democrats 66 ran on promises including greater affordable housing and tougher immigration measures and emerged as the largest party in parliament. Lacking a majority, it formed a government through coalition negotiations with the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).