Islamabad, July 30, 2026: Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani on Thursday called for expanding Pakistan-South Korea cooperation in biotechnology, artificial intelligence (AI), healthcare innovation and advanced medical technologies, highlighting significant untapped potential for collaboration in high-value sectors.
The remarks came during a meeting at Parliament House with a high-level delegation from the Republic of Korea led by KOA-Bio Chief Executive Officer Cho, accompanied by senior representatives of KOA Corporation, Scale Sniper and other South Korean companies.
Welcoming the delegation, Gilani said Pakistan attaches great importance to its longstanding friendship with South Korea, describing the relationship as one built on mutual trust, respect and steadily growing economic and technological cooperation.
He said bilateral ties had witnessed remarkable progress over the past four decades, with cooperation expanding in trade, investment, technology, education and people-to-people exchanges. While noting that bilateral trade had grown substantially, he stressed that considerable opportunities remained in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, AI-enabled medical research, advanced manufacturing and information technology.
The Chairman Senate underscored the importance of parliamentary diplomacy, saying the Pakistan-South Korea Parliamentary Friendship Group provides an effective platform for promoting dialogue, legislative cooperation and closer engagement between the two countries. He expressed hope that stronger exchanges among parliamentarians, policymakers, researchers, academia and the private sector would further deepen scientific, technological and economic cooperation.
Highlighting Pakistan’s commitment to research and innovation, Gilani said the country offers a growing network of universities, medical institutions and research centres, supported by a talented pool of young scientists and healthcare professionals. He encouraged long-term partnerships in biotechnology, biologics, precision medicine, pharmaceutical innovation and medical devices through joint research programmes, researcher exchanges, clinical studies and technology partnerships.
Referring to the growing role of artificial intelligence in healthcare, he said Pakistan is keen to collaborate with South Korean institutions in AI-assisted drug discovery, precision medicine, bioinformatics, genomic analytics, predictive disease surveillance and digital diagnostics.
He also invited South Korean companies to explore investment opportunities in medical device manufacturing, technology transfer, local assembly, biomedical engineering, laboratory modernisation and digital healthcare solutions, saying Pakistan’s expanding healthcare sector offers promising prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation.
Gilani highlighted the role of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) in creating a streamlined single-window mechanism to facilitate strategic investments in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, information technology and advanced manufacturing.
He encouraged stronger business-to-business partnerships, joint ventures, technology transfer and institutional collaboration between South Korean companies and Pakistani ministries, universities, research institutions and healthcare organisations.
The Chairman Senate further said the Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference provides an important platform for promoting policy frameworks that support innovation, biotechnology, AI governance and global health security.
The South Korean delegation thanked Gilani for the warm reception and expressed strong interest in expanding cooperation with Pakistan in biotechnology, healthcare innovation, artificial intelligence, medical technologies, research and investment. The delegation also appreciated Pakistan’s growing scientific capabilities and investor-friendly environment and expressed optimism about establishing long-term institutional partnerships with Pakistani stakeholders.
