Ministry of Science and ICT to Review AI Cooperation at CES... High-Level Talks with Nvidia and OpenAI

Ryu Jemyung Listens to Challenges Faced by Korean Companies
Assessing Industry Trends from CES to Silicon Valley

The Ministry of Science and ICT will assess artificial intelligence (AI) industry trends and strengthen cooperation with global big tech companies at CES 2026, the world’s largest electronics and IT exhibition.

On January 5, the Ministry announced that a government delegation led by Second Vice Minister Ryu Jemyung will attend CES 2026 in Las Vegas, United States, from January 6 to 9. The delegation will encourage domestic AI and digital companies and universities, and examine the latest AI industry trends, including physical AI. After attending CES, the delegation plans to travel to San Francisco for high-level meetings with global big tech companies such as Nvidia and OpenAI.

This year, approximately 4,500 companies from around the world are expected to participate in CES. About 700 Korean companies, including major corporations such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor, and Doosan, as well as small and venture businesses, will take part. Korean companies have made their presence felt by winning 211 out of 367 Innovation Awards.

During CES, the Ministry’s delegation will visit domestic AI and digital companies seeking to expand globally, offering encouragement and listening to on-site challenges through roundtable discussions. They will also visit exhibition booths of global AI and semiconductor companies such as Nvidia, Meta, and Qualcomm to assess the latest technological trends and explore ways to strengthen the competitiveness of Korea’s AI industry.

On the first day, the delegation will visit the ARM exhibition booth to request cooperation with the domestic AI semiconductor industry and visit Eureka Park, which focuses on early-stage startups and venture companies, to encourage university startups and in-house venture entrepreneurs from institutions such as KAIST, POSTECH, Hanyang University, and Samsung C-LAB. During a luncheon roundtable, they plan to hear about difficulties in technology commercialization and policy suggestions. Later, they will hold a "Digital Youth Talent Talk Concert" for young digital talents participating in CES, providing mentoring and supporting the expansion of global networks.

On the second day, the delegation will focus on major technology trends such as AI, physical AI, robotics, and mobility, mainly in the Central and West Halls of the LVCC, the core exhibition areas of CES. They will share the latest industry trends and discuss public-private cooperation strategies through meetings with leading companies such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor, Doosan, Naver, and Samsung SDS.

On the third day, the delegation will visit the North Hall of the LVCC to encourage domestic AI and AI semiconductor companies. They will hold an innovation companies roundtable with Mobilint, PersonaAI, DeepX, and HL Mando, which won CES 2026 Innovation Awards, as well as AI Champion Award-winning companies, to discuss policy tasks for scaling up AI companies and supporting their growth into unicorns.

After the CES schedule, the delegation will move to San Francisco for a series of high-level meetings with Nvidia and OpenAI to discuss global cooperation strategies for Korea’s emergence as an Asia-Pacific AI hub. They also plan to attend a startup pitching and networking event hosted by UKF, the largest Korean startup founder community in the United States, to share Korea’s AI policy vision.

Second Vice Minister Ryu Jemyung stated, "CES is a battleground where global ICT companies showcase their latest technologies and visions centered on AI. We will respond swiftly to the rapidly changing AI market trends, including physical AI, and actively support the technological innovation and overseas expansion of our companies, which are key players in Korea’s rise as one of the world’s top three AI powers."