Jo Incheol: "Making Gwangju the AI Innovation Hub of Korea"

Policy Forum to Explore Strategies at the National Assembly on the 20th

Jo Incheol, Member of the National Assembly.

Jo Incheol, a member of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Gwangju Seo-gu Gap), will hold a policy forum on the theme "Securing Global Competitiveness as an AI Innovation Hub in the Era of Multimodal AI" at the National Assembly's 2nd Small Conference Room on the 20th.

The forum, co-hosted with Gwangju City and the Artificial Intelligence Industry Convergence Project Group, aims to explore public-private-academic cooperation strategies for establishing an AI ecosystem in Gwangju as an innovation hub. Over ten participants will attend, including Gwangju Mayor Kang Gijeong, as well as Choi Minhee and Chung Dongyoung from the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee.

In a press release distributed earlier that morning, Jo stated, "The advent of the AI era, made visible by the Deepseek shock, poses significant questions for us," and added, "If we fail to catch up with general-purpose AI technologies that will be applied across all aspects of daily life, like electricity or steam engines, we risk being left behind by the times."

He continued, "At the national level, with the memory semiconductor industry?traditionally a strong sector?facing an unprecedented slump, transitioning to new industries, securing new growth engines, and preempting future markets are more urgent than ever," emphasizing, "We must act with determination before the window of opportunity closes."

Jo also remarked, "With AI technology development and industrial revitalization emerging as survival issues, further strengthening the AI data center in Gwangju can yield dual benefits," and stressed, "It will boost Korea's potential to become a global AI powerhouse and realize the value of balanced national development by overcoming metropolitan concentration and concerns over regional extinction."

This forum will serve as a venue to discuss policy alternatives for securing global competitiveness in Korea's AI industry, with key agenda items including securing AI sovereignty, strengthening AI infrastructure, and establishing Gwangju as an AI innovation hub. In particular, discussions will focus on developing the Gwangju AI Cluster into an industrial center linked to the national AI strategy and building a balanced development model between the metropolitan area and other regions.

Presentations will be delivered by Bae Kyunghoon, Head of LG AI Research Institute, and Yoon Seokju, CBO of Persona AI. The comprehensive discussion will be chaired by Oh Sangjin, Head of the AI Industry Convergence Project Group, with panelists including Kim Hyuncheol, Director of Future Growth at MBC, Gong Deukjo, Vice Dean of GIST Graduate School of AI Policy and Strategy, and Kim Kyungman, Director of AI-Based Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT.