South Korea, Mongolia sign 21 MOUs on healthcare, AI and energy during Lee's state visit

South Korea and Mongolia signed 21 agreements and memorandums of understanding covering AI, energy transition, retail and logistics, and other sectors Thursday (local time), as President Lee Jae Myung made a state visit to Mongolia.

The MOUs go beyond simple exchanges, focusing on combining South Korea's technological capabilities and industrial competitiveness with Mongolia's abundant natural resources and growth potential.

Economic cooperation accounts for the largest share of the agreements. The two countries signed MOUs on retail and logistics cooperation, food and agriculture, agricultural science and technology, cooperation between the Export-Import Bank of Korea and the Trade and Development Bank of Mongolia, and exchanges between the Bank of Korea and the Bank of Mongolia.

The agreements aim to expand the foothold of South Korean companies in Mongolia, develop products using Mongolian raw materials and introduce advanced retail systems to the country. The two sides also agreed to strengthen supply chain cooperation linking South Korea's industrial competitiveness and build a financial support framework — particularly to underpin Korean companies' local investment and exports.

The two countries also signed MOUs on digital cooperation, science and technology, administrative capital construction and energy transition.

Cooperation will extend to AI, next-generation communications, cybersecurity, digital transformation, and joint research in resources, climate and energy. South Korea will also share its experience building Sejong as an administrative capital. Clean energy, power grid modernization and microgrid development are also included, broadening the overseas reach of South Korea's digital and urban development model.

Healthcare cooperation was significantly expanded. The two countries renewed their MOU on health and medical cooperation and signed a new MOU for the construction of Mongolia's Second National Cancer Center. Cooperation will cover cancer treatment, AI-based digital healthcare and healthy aging, with the cancer center to be built using South Korea's healthcare model and the Economic Development Cooperation Fund.

President Khurelsukh resigned from the Mongolian parliament in 2012 and lived in South Korea for a period while his wife received medical treatment there. Observers say his firsthand experience with South Korea's advanced medical care likely influenced the scope of the healthcare MOUs.

In the area of climate change, forestry cooperation is central. The two countries signed MOUs on combating climate change, desertification, yellow dust and forest disasters, as well as on building capacity in the forestry sector to address climate change.

Mongolia's desertification and yellow dust problems directly affect South Korea, so the two sides agreed to jointly pursue forest restoration, carbon reduction, wildfire response and digital-based forest management.

Cooperation that citizens will feel directly was also significantly expanded. The two countries renewed MOUs on cultural exchange, education and the Employment Permit System, and signed a mutual recognition agreement on driver's licenses — allowing nationals of each country to drive in the other using their domestic license.

The two sides also signed MOUs on preserving the Lee Tae-jun Memorial Park, underwater cultural heritage, and joint research on the cultural and natural heritage of the Gobi Desert, strengthening historical and cultural ties. The mutual recognition of driver's licenses is expected to improve convenience for short-term visitors and long-term residents traveling between the two countries, while the education and employment cooperation agreements are expected to serve as a foundation for expanding people-to-people exchanges.