{"id":483870,"date":"2026-06-09T12:40:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T12:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/483870\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T12:40:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T12:40:18","slug":"forum-korea-urged-to-navigate-fractured-global-economy-with-ai-transformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/483870\/","title":{"rendered":"[FORUM] Korea urged to navigate fractured global economy with AI transformation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"President<\/p>\n

President Lee Jae Myung’s congratulatory address is read during The Korea Times Forum at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul<\/p>\n

Korean companies must move beyond export-led growth models and embrace artificial intelligence (AI)-driven transformation to remain competitive in an increasingly fragmented global economy, business leaders and experts said Tuesday during The Korea Times Forum.<\/p>\n

The forum, titled \u201cMade in Korea: Global and AI enablement,\u201d brought together policymakers, corporate executives, diplomats and industry experts to discuss how Korean companies can navigate geopolitical uncertainty, technological disruption and intensifying global competition.<\/p>\n

In a congratulatory address, President Lee Jae Myung vowed to boost corporate growth by increasing investment in cutting-edge industries, including AI.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government will spare no effort to ensure that the AI-driven transformation becomes a source of hope for all and an opportunity for growth and advancement,\u201d Lee said in a written message. \u201cWe will also provide steadfast support so that businesses can innovate freely and achieve sustainable growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rep.<\/p>\n

Rep. Song Young-gil of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea delivers a congratulatory address during The Korea Times Forum at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul<\/p>\n

Rep. Song Young-gil of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) also underscored the need to converge Korea\u2019s manufacturing expertise with AI.<\/p>\n

\u201cAI should be creatively converged with each manufacturing sector, so we can significantly improve productivity in diverse industries,\u201d Song said. <\/p>\n

\u201cNow is the time for us to invest excess tax revenues \u2014 generated particularly from memory chipmakers \u2014 in the nation’s materials, components and equipment makers and AI firms to strengthen the industrial link between the two.\u201d<\/p>\n

The forum, co-hosted by GR Korea, also featured keynote speeches by Sir Martin Sorrell, chairman of S4 Capital, and Cho Yong-min, a partner for PwC Korea, both of whom argued that AI is rapidly becoming a defining factor in corporate competitiveness.<\/p>\n

\"Sir<\/p>\n

Sir Martin Sorrell, chairman of S4 Capital, delivers a live-broadcast keynote speech during The Korea Times Forum at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul<\/p>\n

Sorrell said companies are operating in a fundamentally different environment from the one that shaped globalization over the past decade \u2014 from relatively frictionless supply chains, low inflation and abundant capital to a more fragmented landscape driven by geopolitical tensions, industrial policy and fierce technological competition. <\/p>\n

\u201cGeography is no longer a background variable,\u201d Sorrell said. \u201cIt has become a board-level strategic decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pointed to rising economic nationalism, government-led industrial strategies and competition in critical technologies as forces reshaping trade, investment and corporate decision-making worldwide.<\/p>\n

\"Participants<\/p>\n

Participants listen to remarks during The Korea Times Forum at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul<\/p>\n

Sorrell also highlighted Korea\u2019s growing cultural influence through K-pop, K-dramas, beauty products and food, describing the country as one of the world\u2019s most powerful soft power exporters.<\/p>\n

However, he warned that global success can no longer be sustained solely through strong products or cultural appeal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe risk is not creativity,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is operational speed and structural agility.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sorrell said AI-powered operating models are gaining traction as agentic AI systems take over complex workflows that previously required extensive human coordination, automating tasks from audience analysis and content localization to performance optimization. <\/p>\n

\"Cho<\/p>\n

Cho Yong-min, a partner at PwC Korea, delivers a keynote speech for The Korea Times Forum at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul<\/p>\n

While enthusiasm around AI continues to grow, the PwC partner cautioned that many corporate AI initiatives fail because organizations focus too heavily on technology and too little on foundational readiness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe root cause of failure is not technology itself,\u201d Cho said. \u201cIt is the absence of strategy, data and organizational preparedness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drawing on PwC\u2019s research and consulting experience, he identified three characteristics that distinguish successful AI leaders.<\/p>\n

First, they invest heavily in modern data architectures, technology platforms and operational capabilities. Second, they expand AI applications across the entire value chain, rather than treating AI as a standalone innovation project. Finally, they use AI as a catalyst for growth and business innovation, instead of merely as a tool for cost reduction and efficiency.<\/p>\n

\"Jung<\/p>\n

Jung In-sub, head of the Management Support Office at Hanwha Ocean, attends The Korea Times Forum at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul<\/p>\n

Cho emphasized the growing importance of agentic AI, describing it as a new model of collaboration between humans and intelligent systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgentic AI is not simply task automation,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is a paradigm shift that redesigns how work gets done through human-agent collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Korea Times Vice Chairman Seung Ji-soo warned that the local economy cannot achieve sustainable growth by relying on the traditional manufacturing sector.<\/p>\n

He said the world is entering a period of profound economic and technological change in which traditional sources of competitiveness are no longer sufficient.<\/p>\n

\"Korea<\/p>\n

Korea Times Vice Chairman Seung Ji-soo gives opening remarks for The Korea Times Forum at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul<\/p>\n

\u201cAI is reshaping industries and business models at unprecedented speed,\u201d Seung said in his welcome speech. \u201cAt the same time, geopolitical uncertainty, supply chain realignment and economic fragmentation are redefining the global business environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

He noted that Korea\u2019s remarkable rise over the past several decades was built on manufacturing excellence and export-driven growth. However, sustaining success in the coming decades will depend on companies\u2019 ability to build resilient global operations, strategically leverage AI and scale across borders with greater agility.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe challenge ahead is how to connect Korea\u2019s strengths \u2014 advanced digital infrastructure, manufacturing capabilities, cultural influence and exceptional talent \u2014 more effectively to global markets and long-term global growth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Korea<\/p>\n

Korea Times Vice Chairman Seung Ji-soo, left, speaks with American Chamber of Commerce in Korea Chairman James Kim during The Korea Times Forum at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul<\/p>\n

The forum featured two sessions. The first, moderated by American Chamber of Commerce in Korea Chairman James Kim, explored how Korean companies can evolve from export-driven businesses into sustainable global players, with panelists Jung In-sub, head of the Management Support Office at Hanwha Ocean; Park Suk-jung, head of research at SK Group; Alex Kim, vice president and Korea general manager of PTC; and Sorrell.<\/p>\n

The second section centered on the topics of AI and K-beauty for Korea\u2019s future during the second session moderated by Sung Lee, a partner at Midas PE.<\/p>\n

The session’s panelists were Kakao Entertainment CEO Joseph Chang, Hansae CEO Kim Ik-whan, Leferi CEO Choi In-seok, The Ape Squad CEO Kim Young-ki and Sungkyunkwan University applied artificial intelligence professor Hong Sung-eun.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"President Lee Jae Myung’s congratulatory address is read during The Korea Times Forum at the Chamber of Commerce…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":483871,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[114,184,85,46],"class_list":["post-483870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-economy","tag-il","tag-israel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=483870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483870\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/483871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=483870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=483870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=483870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}