Korea's Responsibility and Role Grow with Hosting of IDA Meeting
"World Bank Focuses on Establishing Principles for Responsible AI"
"Korea is playing an increasingly important role in development assistance. Many countries want to learn from Korea's experience. There is growing interest in sharing Korea's best practices with the world, and some of these initiatives are being carried out in cooperation with the World Bank (WB)."
Sangbu Kim, Vice President for Digital Development at the World Bank, made these remarks in response to a question about whether Korea is supporting artificial intelligence (AI) in developing countries through official development assistance (ODA) during a meeting with the press corps accompanying the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting, held on April 24 (local time) at the WB Vice President's office in Washington D.C., USA.
Kim explained, "For example, countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia are cooperating with Korea on e-government projects," adding, "Saudi Arabia is also importing Korean technologies, including smart farms." He also stated, "Korean companies are actively expanding overseas in various fields such as data centers, AI solutions, and customized models," and "many companies are supporting international projects or pioneering overseas markets."
Kim also said, "Last December, Korea hosted the International Development Association (IDA) replenishment meeting, which demonstrated that Korea's role and responsibility have been strengthened." He noted, "By hosting the IDA meeting, Korea's status and influence have increased," and "Korea's contributions have grown significantly, and Korea's international participation in the development sector now plays an important role."
Sangbu Kim, Vice President for Digital Development at the World Bank (WB), is speaking at a meeting with the press corps accompanying the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting held on April 24 (local time) at the WB Vice President's office in Washington D.C., USA. Press corps accompanying the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting
He is currently working to ensure that digital technologies, including AI, benefit low-income countries. Kim stated, "We are focusing on AI education, improving digital infrastructure, and introducing cloud computing resources in Africa, Latin America, and other low-income regions." As these efforts require significant capital, he explained, "Most of the infrastructure comes from private sector investment rather than from governments."
Kim said, "The WB has a private investment arm called IFC, and we cooperate with IFC when necessary," adding, "We hold discussions with private companies to identify what is needed for AI investment in African countries." He continued, "For example, we are discussing building regional clusters to improve the efficiency of data center construction through inter-country cooperation."
According to Kim, the WB's perspective on AI focuses on establishing principles for responsible AI rather than imposing strict regulations. He explained, "Some regulations, like traffic laws for vehicles, are necessary for safety and industrial growth," but also noted, "Since it is difficult to predict the future of AI, we are taking a flexible approach that evolves alongside the technology."
Kim is the first Korean to attain the highest-ranking position at the WB since Korea joined in 1955, and he has been serving in this newly established role since September last year. After passing the 40th civil service exam, he held various public offices, including at the former Ministry of Information and Communication in 1997, and worked at companies such as LG Uplus and Google. With a comprehensive digital transformation portfolio, he was appointed Vice President after surpassing dozens of strong candidates. His term runs until the end of 2028.
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