Opening at Lotte Hotel Jeju on the 16th... Four Days, Three Nights of Events
Ryu Jin's Opening Address: "We Must Create a Business-Friendly Environment"
Keynote Speech by Lee Jaesang, CEO of HYBE
Ryu Jin, chairman of the Korea Economic Cooperation Association, emphasized at the opening of the "38th KECA CEO Jeju Summer Forum" held at Lotte Hotel Jeju on the 16th, "Entrepreneurship is the engine of the national economy and was the driving force behind the Miracle on the Han River and Korea's rise to become one of the world's top 10 economies. In difficult times, it is even more crucial to revive entrepreneurship through supportive systems and environments. Creating a business-friendly environment is the key to solving our challenges."
Ryu Jin, chairman of the Korea Economic Cooperation Association, is delivering a greeting at the '2025 KECA CEO Jeju Summer Forum' held at Lotte Hotel Jeju on the 16th. This forum, held from the 16th to the 19th at Lotte Hotel Jeju, is themed "Entrepreneurship Turning Crisis into Opportunity: Challenge and Innovation," and about 500 business leaders are expected to participate to explore entrepreneurship and future strategies. Photo by KECA
The KECA Jeju Summer Forum kicked off on this day for a four-day, three-night schedule. This year's forum, themed "Entrepreneurship Turning Crisis into Opportunity: Challenge and Innovation," is attended by about 500 business leaders who will take time to reflect on entrepreneurship and future strategies.
In his opening address, Chairman Ryu said, "KECA will become an artificial intelligence (AI) hub connecting the government and industry, establishing a Korean-style AI ecosystem and pioneering the path for Korea to become one of the world's top three AI powerhouses." He also stressed, "Just as 'Tteokbokki' was newly added to the Oxford English Dictionary and the original musical 'Eojjeomyeon Happy Ending' swept the Tony Awards, cultural competence and soft power are also essential for Korea to become an advanced nation."
The keynote speech at the forum was delivered by Lee Jaesang, CEO of HYBE, which has produced numerous K-pop stars including BTS. Lee took the podium in place of HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk, who was originally scheduled to give the keynote, and spoke on the topic, "The Crisis and Challenge of K-pop: Focusing on HYBE's Global Expansion for Sustainable Growth."
He explained the background behind Chairman Bang's introduction of the "K-pop crisis theory" in 2023 and introduced three solutions HYBE is pursuing to address these challenges: "multi-home, multi-genre," "multi-label," and "fandom platform." He concluded by stating, "As an industry-leading company, we will create a virtuous cycle that enables the growth of the related secondary and tertiary industry ecosystems together."
Meanwhile, at this forum, business leaders representing various industries such as digital finance, robotics, AI, travel, and healthcare will take the stage to share future strategies and cases of innovation.
On the 17th, Lee Eunmi, CEO of Toss Bank, will present on "The Future of Digital Banking and Toss Bank's Formula for Success," introducing cases of innovation in digital finance and the changes fintech will bring to the financial sector.
Next, Hyun Dongjin, head of Hyundai Motor Robotics Lab, will present real-world cases of AI-based manufacturing innovation in a lecture titled "Spaces and Interactive Technologies for People, Robotics." In the content sector, Choi Jaewon, vice president of SAMG Entertainment, will share strategies for expanding content IP businesses by broadening the target audience, focusing on TiniPing.
In addition, Song Miseon, CEO of HanaTour, Kim Dongshin, CEO of Sendbird, and Seo Jaegul, president of the Korean Society of Naturopathic Medicine, will each give presentations on overcoming crises in the travel industry, targeting global markets with AI, and wellness trends in the era of population aging, respectively.
During the forum, a special summer night concert will also be held, featuring Kim Yongbin, the winner of Mister Trot 3, pianist and trot singer Chris Young, and Jung Dongha of Boohwal.
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