Governor Kim Youngrok's Special Lecture at Stanford University

Presenting a Vision of Challenges and Cooperation in the AI Era

Kim Youngrok, governor of Jeollanam-do, who is on a tour of the United States, gave a special lecture on the 26th (local time) at Stanford University in San Francisco under the theme "Korea-US Global Innovation, Challenges and Cooperation Vision in the AI Era," presenting topics such as "Korea in Crisis and Vision for Rejump" and "Korea-US Economic Cooperation Plans for Korea's Re-creation." Provided by Jeonnam Province

Kim Youngrok, Governor of Jeollanam-do, delivered a special lecture at Stanford University in San Francisco, USA, on the 26th (local time), under the theme "Korea-US Global Innovation: Vision of Challenges and Cooperation in the AI Era."

In his lecture, Governor Kim presented the "Vision for Korea's Second Leap Forward" and "Measures for Korea-US Economic Cooperation for Korea's Re-creation."

After introducing his experience of studying in the United States, which instilled in him the value of innovation, Governor Kim discussed the background of Korea's rise from the ruins of war to become the world's 10th largest economy, cases of overcoming national crises based on the Korea-US alliance, the driving force behind Korea's democratic development and technological advancement, and more. He also pointed out Korea's current crisis, including complex global challenges, social conflicts, low birth rates, and an aging population, and presented a vision for overcoming these difficulties.

Governor Kim stated, "Regarding Korea's political situation, the crisis of governmental paralysis caused by the president's declaration of emergency martial law is being overcome by the people through peaceful and democratic means," emphasizing, "To prevent the recurrence of such tragic events, it is necessary to amend the constitution to decentralize power."

He continued, "By transitioning to a decentralized presidential system, the president should be responsible for diplomacy and national defense, while a responsible prime minister should form a partnership with the National Assembly and lead domestic affairs, establishing a government system of checks and balances. Like Germany and France, we should establish an upper house within the National Assembly to ensure that local opinions are reflected in national governance, and guarantee substantial authority and finances by allocating more than 50% of fiscal power to local governments, thereby fostering the autonomous competitiveness of local regions."

He emphasized the importance of technological cooperation between Korea and the United States in the rapidly accelerating global competition in the AI industry.

Governor Kim argued, "The United States has strengths in AI software, while Korea excels in AI hardware manufacturing. To create synergy between the two countries' strengths, we should promote joint research in advanced AI fields and strengthen cooperation in technology development between startups and leading companies from both countries."

Jeollanam-do is focusing all efforts on building core infrastructure, such as data centers, in anticipation of the growth potential of the AI and data industries.

In Solaseado, Haenam, a total of 15 trillion won will be invested to develop the world's largest AI hub with a capacity of 3GW on a site of approximately 1.2 million pyeong by 2028.

Governor Kim quoted the late President Kim Daejung's words, "A friend in need is a friend indeed," and stated, "The vision for Korea-US cooperation and the challenges for the AI era will become an important milestone for Korea and the United States to advance as true partners."