Kim Jong-in Meets Kim Taek-jin to Discuss the '4th Industrial Revolution'... Denies 'Market Candidate' Speculation

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Lee Ji-eun and Lim Chun-han] Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, met with Kim Taek-jin, CEO of NCSoft, to discuss the Fourth Industrial Revolution and artificial intelligence (AI). He dismissed rumors about Kim CEO running for Seoul mayor.

On the morning of the 27th, after visiting NCSoft headquarters located in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Kim told reporters, "We talked about how AI will be introduced into our industries, what impact it will have on jobs, and whether a situation where AI truly eliminates jobs will arise."

He said, "NCSoft recently has been training experts related to AI, so I came to visit," and regarding questions about Kim CEO’s mayoral candidacy, he dismissed them by saying, "If there is something specific to ask related to the company, I can meet, but there is no particular reason to meet otherwise." It is known that Kim had previously contacted Kim CEO as a potential Seoul mayor candidate.

In his opening remarks that day, Kim said, "Regarding AI, China is making concentrated efforts, increasing the number of people teaching and studying AI, but here it is led by private companies," and added, "I heard that NCSoft is submitting government reports on AI, so please share the overall outlook for Korea’s Fourth Industrial Revolution."

Jo Myung-hee, Chair of the People Power Party’s Future Industry Special Committee, said, "Interest in games, a representative untact (contactless) field, has grown due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, but recently the game industry faces tough challenges due to various surrounding environments and the advances of the U.S. and China," adding, "If NCSoft talks about the current status and development direction of the game industry, we will support it through laws and systems to strengthen national competitiveness and create jobs."

In response, CEO Kim said, "Bold investment will play a leading role in fostering future industries and creating good jobs," and "I hope the Korean game industry becomes the driving force of the future growth industries Korea desires, and I ask for interest and encouragement."

He said, "Just as making bipedal robots that walk like humans is a challenge in the robotics industry, in the game industry, creating 'digital actors' who make human-like facial expressions and act naturally is the next challenge," and added, "Just as robots enabled all kinds of manufacturing, future cultural industries will be built upon digital actors."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.