Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, outlined an AI strategy centered on technological self-reliance and trust-based cooperation as a model for Korea and Asia-Pacific nations.
SK Group said on October 28 that it hosted the FutureTech Forum AI, a side event of the 2025 APEC CEO Summit, at Munmu Hall in Gyeongju Expo Park. The forum, held under the theme “Challenges and Opportunities in the AI Era: Seeking National AI Ecosystem Strategies and Solutions,” drew government, industry and academic representatives from key APEC economies including the United States, Singapore and Peru, alongside Korean policy and industry leaders.
Speakers and panelists included Chey Tae-won; Ha Jung-woo, Presidential Secretary for AI Future Planning; Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS); Choi Soo-yeon, CEO of Naver; Kim Kyung-hoon, Head of OpenAI Korea; Yoo Young-sang, CEO of SK Telecom; and Simon Milner, Meta vice president. Global scholars such as Stanford HAI professor Yejin Choi and Nitin Mittal, Deloitte’s global AI leader, also contributed to discussions on AI ecosystem development.
In his welcome remarks on “Building an AI Ecosystem,” Chey said AI has become central to business and national security, calling the emergence of OpenAI’s ChatGPT an “AI shock.” He warned of strategic competition as major powers build AI infrastructure and export their technologies worldwide.
Chey forecast widening gaps among individuals, companies and countries depending on AI adoption. Pointing to Korea’s approach, he emphasized two pillars: “technological self-reliance”—including public-private AI computing infrastructure and domestic foundation-model projects—and “trust-based cooperation” with global AI firms. He cited SK’s collaborations with AWS on the SK AI Data Center in Ulsan and with OpenAI on the “Stargate” initiative as examples.
Addressing earlier concerns about bottlenecks in semiconductors and energy, Chey said Korea may not resolve all constraints alone but can act as a fast-adapting testbed to alleviate them. He predicted rapid AI diffusion and evolution in Korea and said the country could become a benchmark for the global AI industry.
Participants agreed that building nationally specialized AI ecosystems is key to embedding AI into everyday life. In a keynote, Ha Jung-woo outlined the government’s “AI Three-Nation Power Strategy,” pledging broad efforts to secure high-quality specialized data and to support advanced AI talent development. He underscored that cooperation among businesses, citizens and global partners must underpin AI progress, aligning with Chey’s twin priorities.
In panel sessions, AWS CEO Matt Garman and Deloitte’s Nitin Mittal discussed “AI and the Future of Regional Innovation,” sharing perspectives on AI’s role in balanced regional development. Executives from Naver, OpenAI Korea and Meta presented corporate AI innovations and industry applications. Yoo Young-sang led a roundtable with Ha, Kim, Professor Choi and Nitin Mittal on AI innovation, ethics and growth across APEC nations.
At the outdoor K-Tech Showcase, SK exhibited an “AI Data Center Solution” bringing together semiconductor, cooling, operations and security capabilities from SK affiliates including SK Telecom, SK hynix, SKC and SK enmove. SK and AWS are jointly building the 100 MW hyperscale SK AI Data Center in Ulsan, targeted for completion in 2027, and SK has recently discussed a southwestern AI data center with OpenAI as part of efforts to preemptively establish AI infrastructure for Korea’s emergence as an Asia-Pacific AI hub.
An SK spokesperson said the FutureTech Forum AI’s emphasis on self-reliance and cooperation could inform AI strategies beyond Korea and the Asia-Pacific, and invited stakeholders to the SK AI Summit on November 3 to further present the company’s vision for a value-creating AI ecosystem.
