South Korea and the Netherlands on Monday launched a dialogue on the semiconductor industry in an effort to boost bilateral cooperation on the advanced sector, the industry ministry here said.

The two nations held the inaugural meeting of the director-level Korea-Netherlands Semiconductor Dialogue in the Dutch city of Eindhoven on the day, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The meeting was held as the two sides agreed in December to establish a working-level dialogue channel when President Yoon Suk Yeol made a state visit to the European nation and vowed joint efforts with the Netherlands to forge "a semiconductor alliance."

During Monday's meeting, the two nations shared their related policies on the industry, and discussed ways of enhancing cooperation on chip designing, equipment and packaging, among other fields.

They also exchanged opinions on how to operate and expand their education program meant to nurture 500 experts from the two nations by 2028.

The program kicked off this month by involving 60 graduate school students, the ministry said.

The officials also discussed holding a business roundtable and various other events with major industry players to give them new business opportunities.

"Stronger cooperation between the two nations, which are key players in the industry, are also expected to contribute to the stable supply chains of the global semiconductor field," Lee Yong-phil, a South Korean representative for the dialogue, said.