Intralink Korea Managing Director Kim Na-rai, proper, delivers remarks after successful the U.Ok.-Korea Commerce Award on the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea (BCCK) Enterprise Awards in Seoul, June 12. Courtesy of BCCK
U.Ok.-Korea enterprise ties are shifting past conventional commerce and funding towards deeper cooperation in superior applied sciences, from synthetic intelligence (AI) and quantum computing to semiconductors, batteries and biotechnology, in accordance with the Korea head of enterprise consultancy Intralink.
Kim Na-rai, managing director of Intralink Korea, mentioned the complementary strengths of the 2 international locations may create new alternatives as Korean corporations more and more search cutting-edge applied sciences and partnerships abroad.
“The most important alternative lies in how briskly Korean conglomerates are looking for exterior applied sciences and contemporary concepts,” Kim mentioned in a latest written interview with The Korea Occasions.
The U.Ok.-headquartered consultancy agency, which has operated in Korea since 2009, helps abroad tech corporations enter the home market by way of native enterprise growth and partnerships.
The corporate received the U.Ok.-Korea Commerce Award on the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea’s (BCCK) 2026 Enterprise Awards in June for serving to British tech corporations navigate the Korean market and safe offers value tens of millions of kilos.
Intralink Korea organized 4 U.Ok. commerce missions to Korea final 12 months, arranging greater than 200 business-to-business conferences with main corporations together with Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Group, POSCO and Hanwha Aerospace.
“Whereas Korean companies transfer quick and have the capital to scale, they want specialised, cutting-edge applied sciences,” she mentioned. “That’s the place British tech startups and analysis hubs have an enormous edge.”
Nevertheless, she added that the problem for British corporations is popping preliminary conferences and high-level agreements into industrial offers.
“Korea’s enterprise tradition is fast-paced, pragmatic and closely relationship-driven. Many U.Ok. corporations anticipate deal timelines to maneuver as they do in Europe, or they depend on high-level agreements that do not translate into actual enterprise,” she mentioned. “Constructing true credibility and not using a devoted group on the bottom is usually a large hurdle.”
Workers pose at Intralink Korea’s sales space throughout NextRise 2026, held June 18 and 19 in Seoul. Courtesy of Intralink Korea
The chance additionally runs within the different route, with Korean corporations trying to Britain not solely as an export market however as a accomplice in analysis and expertise growth.
“Abroad enlargement is not nearly conventional exports or discovering new consumers,” she mentioned. “In the present day, it’s about becoming a member of international innovation networks and co-developing options.”
She mentioned the 2 international locations’ complementary strengths — Britain’s analysis and deep-tech capabilities and Korea’s manufacturing experience and skill to commercialize applied sciences at scale — may create alternatives in areas akin to batteries, superior supplies, industrial AI and life sciences.
Intralink Korea’s work with U.Ok. fuel-cell tech firm Ceres illustrates the longer-term mannequin. The consultancy recognized a possibility with Doosan Gasoline Cell and helped Ceres construct a relationship with the Korean vitality big for over six years.
The hassle ultimately led to a sequence of expertise licensing offers value 43 million kilos ($58.6 million) and a producing plant in Saemangeum, a reclaimed space in North Jeolla Province, which started manufacturing in 2025.
“Success didn’t come from one fortunate assembly — it got here from years of endurance and dedication on the bottom,” Kim mentioned.
Wanting forward, Kim mentioned deeper cooperation will likely be wanted as corporations tackle vitality transition, provide chain resilience and well being care innovation challenges that can’t be solved by one market alone.
“Nice expertise alone would not change the world. It wants the proper companions, market understanding and clear industrial pathways to make an influence,” she mentioned.
“Intralink will proceed to be the bridge connecting these tech ecosystems. Our job is not simply to open doorways — it is to assist organizations throughout each nations uncover strategic alternatives they could not have unlocked on their very own.”
