Korea has secured a significant advantage in the next-generation telecommunications technology competition by producing key leadership in the international meetings that steer the development of global communication standards. The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that the ‘3GPP 6G Technology Plenary’ held in Incheon concluded successfully, with Korean researchers being elected as chairman and vice-chairman.
In this meeting, Yoon-Sun Kim, a master from Samsung Electronics, was elected as the chairman of the Radio Access Network (RAN) Technology Plenary, and Rae-Young Kim, a senior researcher from LG Electronics, was elected as vice chairman of the Service and System (SA) Technology Plenary. This is the first time Korea has appointed a chair for the 3GPP Technology Plenary. Notably, the RAN Technology Plenary is the most influential within 3GPP, determining 70-80% of telecommunications patents.
3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) is an organization developing telecommunication standards jointly managed by seven global standardization organizations. Following the development of 3G, 4G, and 5G standards, they are now discussing 6G standards, targeting commercialization by 2030. Korea securing key leadership in this plenary ensures significant bargaining power in the future 6G standard development process.
Alongside this technology plenary, the ‘3GPP 6G Seminar’ discussed the core directions of next-generation telecommunications technology. Research topics included AI-based networks, energy-saving technologies, 6G standalone mode (SA), and the integration of terrestrial network (TN) and non-terrestrial network (NTN). In particular, Korea’s three major telecommunications companies, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), all unanimously emphasized AI-integrated networks and eco-friendly technologies, which have been adopted as key research tasks.
The government’s active support is also noteworthy. At the beginning of this month, Yousang Lim, Minister of Science and ICT, met with major countries and international organizations at ‘MWC 2025’ held in Spain and requested support for Korea’s 6G standard activities. Additionally, at the 3GPP Technology Plenary, they collaborated with global corporations and research institutes to secure support for Korea’s leadership involvement.
The government strategically included wireless network research for supporting the 7-24GHz band, a key focus of the 6G research and development (R&D) projects, into 3GPP discussions, increasing the possibility of it being reflected as an international standard. Minister Lim stated, “The election of our leadership team at the 3GPP Technology Plenary signifies that Korea stands at the center of global telecommunication standardization,” and pledged to actively support the domestic industry to maintain leadership throughout the 6G standardization period, continuing until 2030.
As the competition for telecommunications technology dominance intensifies, Korea’s acquisition of leadership in the 3GPP plenary is likely to enhance its technological leadership in the incoming 6G era.