The National Academy of Engineering of Korea Hosts K-Defense NAEK Forum on the 25th

Proposal to Promote Defense Industry Development with National Dignity

The National Academy of Engineering of Korea (NAEK) announced on the 22nd that it will hold the 272nd NAEK Forum under the theme "Republic of Korea Defense and K-Defense Industry Ecosystem: Diagnosis and Innovation" on the 25th at EL Tower in Yangjae-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

The forum will feature in-depth discussions among academia, industry, and government officials on strategies to continue the revival of the K-Defense industry.

The keynote speeches will be delivered by Kang Eun-ho, former Administrator of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and Bae Jung-myeon, Director of the KAIST Institute for Security and Convergence. Panelists include Shin Hyun-woo, President of Hanwha Aerospace; Lee Sang-ryul, President of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute; Kim Deuk-hwa, CEO of AI technology specialist company Funzin; and Baek Yong-soon, Director of the 3D Communication Research Center at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI).

Kim Ki-nam, Chairman of the Korean Academy of Engineering, delivers a New Year's address at the Korean Academy of Engineering New Year's Ceremony held at the Shilla Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on January 29.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Former Administrator Kang will provide an overview of 50 years of K-Defense and propose plans to promote defense industry development in his keynote speech. Director Bae will introduce three measures for the continuous growth of K-Defense, including the development of advanced defense science and technology.

Kim Ki-nam, President of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea, said, "The recent international situation is shifting from ideology to an era of technological alliances," adding, "We can see that global coalition fronts are changing according to strategic technology interests such as semiconductors and batteries."

He continued, "To sustain the current momentum of K-Defense, securing core technologies and maintaining technology security are necessary," and added, "This requires not only the efforts of individual companies but also cooperation across the entire ecosystem, including academia, industry, and government."

The NAEK Forum is a representative policy discussion meeting of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea that has been held since 1998. The next NAEK Forum is scheduled for May 27 under the theme "The Journey Toward Korea as a Leading Hydrogen Nation: How Far Have We Come and What Challenges Remain?"