Seoul, January 21: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held a series of meetings with various stakeholders to explore collaboration opportunities in key sectors such as renewable energy, semiconductors, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and startups on Tuesday (local time), according to an official statement.

Key Points
1. Exploring semiconductor ecosystem opportunities with Korean tech firms
2. Targeting renewable energy collaboration for 3,000 MW clean energy
3. Strengthening startup and SME partnerships between Assam and Korea

The meetings marked the conclusion of the Chief Minister's first leg of the International Roadshow in South Korea for Advantage Assam 2.0.

Chief Minister Sarma highlighted that South Korea, as a significant player in the semiconductor industry, could contribute to Assam's efforts to establish a comprehensive semiconductor ecosystem. He noted the immense potential for growth in this sector in Assam and the opportunities for global players to establish their presence in the state, leveraging the support of both the Government of Assam and the Government of India.

According to the press statement, Chief Minister Sarma held separate conversations with Dr Joon Choi, Vice President of SK Hynix and Lee Young Joo, CEO of Seoul Viosys, two major semiconductor firms, where he emphasised the strong policy support of the Government of Assam for the sector and upcoming initiatives like a dedicated township and semiconductor cluster to boost the industry.

Notably, the Chief Minister also invited them to be a part of Advantage Assam 2.0 which will take place on February 25 and 26 in Guwahati.

The Chief Minister also engaged in conversations with Oh Youngju, Minister of SME and Startups, Government of the Republic of Korea to discuss avenues of collaboration between entrepreneurs and industries of Assam and Korea and with Young Ha Ryu, Vice President of GS Group to explore partnerships in the renewable energy sector to fulfil Assam's goal of a 3,000 MW clean energy regime by 2030, the statement added.

Chief Minister Sarma also paid a visit to the Startup Campus in Pangyo Techno Valley, Korea's own Silicon Valley in Seoul to explore the innovations of Korean startups from diverse fields of IT, biotech, etc under one roof. The Chief Minister was impressed with the ecosystem in the Techno Valley and expressed his intention to forge collaboration between entrepreneurs and startups of Assam and the Techno Valley and an agreement will soon be reached on this, as per the release.

He also met with the Indian entrepreneurs present there and had a conversation with them.

Further, the statement noted that CM Sarma's engagements over the last two days have been very productive and have aroused keen interest and enthusiasm among Korean business leaders forthe Advantage Assam 2.0 Summit and the possibilities that lie in Assam

The release also stated that CM Sarma will travel to Tokyo, Japan, in the evening to begin the second leg of his visit, where he will engage in discussions with Japanese industry leaders ahead of the mega summit.