[Asia AI Awards] Im Moonyoung: "AI Competitiveness Shifting from Technology to Industrial Execution... Government Must Also Take Action"

Congratulatory Speech at the '2025 Asia AI Awards' Ceremony
"Eliminating Government Silos and Fostering Public-Private Collaboration"
"The Challenges of Companies Are the Foundation of Korea's AI Future"

Im Moonyoung, Vice Chairman of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee, is delivering a congratulatory speech at the '3rd Asia AI Awards Ceremony' held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on December 18, 2025. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

Im Moonyoung, Vice Chairman of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee, stated on December 18, "AI competitiveness is shifting from a technological race centered on model performance to the execution capabilities of industry," adding, "Starting this year, it is time for the government to take action as well."

Vice Chairman Im made these remarks in his congratulatory speech at the '2025 Asia AI Awards' ceremony hosted by The Asia Business Daily, held at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on the same day.

He emphasized, "It is now crucial to deliver tangible results with AI, such as how well it fits specific domains, how much it can actually improve customer service, and how much it can reduce defects in manufacturing sites."

Vice Chairman Im also said, "Our committee, which was launched last September, is striving to lead by example in embracing change. We have appointed a large number of private-sector experts to handle AI-related work and are actively leveraging the first-mover spirit and solutions from the private sector."

He further noted, "Together with the new administration, we have strengthened the foundation of AI in Korea through infrastructure expansion, regulatory innovation, educational system reform, and bold, proactive investments."

The National AI Strategy Committee recently marked its 100th day since its launch by announcing an AI Action Plan containing 98 tasks. The committee plans to finalize and announce the action plan by January next year after gathering feedback and making revisions. The slogan for the action plan has been set as "From Vision to Action."

Vice Chairman Im introduced the 'Funnel Strategy' and 'Router Strategy' currently being promoted by the National AI Strategy Committee, emphasizing the need to break down silos between government ministries and the importance of cooperation between large and small businesses, as well as between the public and private sectors.

In conclusion, Vice Chairman Im stated, "Today, entrepreneurs are at the center of AI innovation. In the future, the achievements of AI will be directly linked to corporate growth. The challenges undertaken by our companies will become the foundation and core driving force of Korea's AI future. The committee is committed to supporting this with practical, field-oriented AI policies."