Deputy Prime Minister Koo Yoonchul: "Korea Should Host UN AI Headquarters... 'Moving AI' Registration System Needed"

Congratulatory Speech at the "2025 National Development Symposium"
"Combining US Software and Korean Manufacturing... A Win-Win Strategy"
"Over 10 Trillion Won to Be Invested Next Year... Focusing on AI Robots, Automobiles, and Home Appliances"

On the 29th, at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, Koo Yoonchul, Deputy Prime Minister for Economy (from the right), Oh Myung, Standing Chairman of the National Elders Council, and Kim Changbeom, Vice Chairman of the Korea Economic Cooperation Association, are taking a commemorative photo at the "2025 National Development Symposium: Increasing Happiness Index through AI." 2025.09.29 Photo by Yoon Dongjoo

"In this era of moving artificial intelligence (AI), management measures, including a registration system, are necessary. As Korea has strengths in the field of physical AI, there is ample potential to attract the United Nations (UN) AI headquarters to Korea."

Koo Yoonchul, Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and Minister of Economy and Finance, made these remarks in his congratulatory speech at the "2025 National Development Symposium" held at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on the 29th, emphasizing Korea's potential to become a global hub for AI innovation. The event was co-hosted by the National Elders Council and the Korea Economic Cooperation Association, supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT, and was held under the theme "Increasing Happiness Index through AI."

Deputy Prime Minister Koo first addressed the current reality of Korea's economy facing a low-growth trend. "Since the second quarter of last year, we have seen negative growth, and this year, growth is expected to be in the 0.9% range, which is less than half of the potential growth rate," he said. "A major AI-driven transformation is inevitable if we are to regain growth momentum."

He went on to highlight the conditions that would allow Korea to become a global AI hub. "The United States has capabilities in large language models (LLMs) but lacks a manufacturing base. In contrast, Korea possesses world-class manufacturing capabilities. If American software and Korean hardware are combined, it can be a win-win strategy," he said. "Based on these strengths, there is a high possibility that the UN AI headquarters can be attracted to Korea."

He also stated, "We will invest over 10 trillion won in next year's budget to fully foster AI industries closely related to daily life, such as AI robots, automobiles, home appliances, drones, and factories. We will also expand AI innovation by applying pilot projects to public administration, welfare, taxation, and new drug development." He announced plans to use military service as an opportunity for AI education to cultivate 'AI warriors' and to boldly invest in supporting youth startups.

He also emphasized the ethical issues that may arise in an era of advancing humanoid AI. "If 'moving AI' such as humanoid robots or autonomous vehicles are misused, they could cause serious problems such as murder or destruction. Therefore, a registration system or state-level management system is necessary," he stressed. He added, "Discussions on preparing for this have begun at the UN level, and Korea can play a central role."

Oh Myung, former Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology and Standing Chairman of the National Elders Council, who delivered the opening address, said, "Korea became a prosperous nation through the IT revolution, and now must leap forward to become a happy nation through the AI revolution," presenting education, jobs, and healthcare as the three main pillars of AI innovation. He said, "In the AI era, the stress of university entrance exams will disappear, and a lifelong learning system will take root. The future opened by the AI revolution will be a society without retirement age and a shift to a family-centered healthcare system."

This symposium was attended by Song Sanghoon, Director-General at the Ministry of Science and ICT; Professor Choi Incheol (Seoul National University); Kwak Noseong, Professor Emeritus at Dongguk University; and Kim Kilhong, former Professor at the Graduate School of Public Administration at Seoul National University, who discussed AI policy directions and social innovation challenges.

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