South Korea's IP laws key to expanding COVID-19 vaccine partnership: US senators

A trio of US Senators believes South Korea's intellectual property protections makes it an ideal partner for the US as it seeks to decouple its supply chains from China and forge partnerships to manufacture coronavirus vaccines, as reported by CNA.

Tammy Duckworth and Chris Coons and Dan Sullivan were in South Korea as part of their first official overseas trip since the pandemic began.

After last month's summit in Washington between US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the senators said their visit was a sign of the importance the US places on South Korea's role in countering China and shoring up global supply chains amid the pandemic.

"We can trust in the legal system here, and we can trust that our intellectual property rights will be protected," Duckworth remarked, adding "South Korea is a logical partner. This is critical whether it is manufacturing (computer) chips or pharmaceuticals."