President Lee to Meet Sam Altman... Urges Investment and Cooperation with Korean Companies

Mutual Cooperation for Korea's AI Transformation and the Development of the AI Ecosystem
Chairmen Lee Jaeyong and Chey Taewon Also in Attendance

On the afternoon of October 1, President Lee Jae-myung will meet with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, at the Yongsan Presidential Office. During the meeting, President Lee is expected to introduce the government's artificial intelligence (AI) development policies, while also requesting cooperation with Korean AI-related companies and investment in the AI industry.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, arrived in Seoul on the 1st through the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center (SGBAC) in Gangseo-gu. On the same day, CEO Sam Altman is scheduled to pay a courtesy visit to President Lee Jae-myung at the Yongsan Presidential Office. Joint coverage by Yonhap News Agency

Since taking office, President Lee has been striving to foster the AI industry and attract investment, aiming to make Korea one of the world's top three AI powerhouses. President Lee has appointed numerous AI experts to the Presidential Office and Cabinet, including Ha Jungwoo, Chief of Future AI Planning at the Presidential Office, and Bae Kyunghoon, Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Minister of Science and ICT. He has also announced plans to invest a significant portion of the National Growth Fund, which has been increased from 100 trillion to 150 trillion won, in AI.

At the launch ceremony of the Presidential National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee held at the Seoul Expo on September 8, President Lee presented four key principles to achieve the goal of becoming one of the top three AI countries: implementing AI for all that is easily accessible and usable by everyone; a public-private "One Team" strategy with the private sector leading and the government supporting; restructuring social systems to be AI-friendly across all sectors; and balanced AI development across the entire nation.

During his visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, President Lee also met with Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, the world's largest asset management firm with $12.5 trillion in assets under management (AUM), and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). In the meeting with Chairman Fink, President Lee reached a consensus on making Korea the "AI capital" of the Asia-Pacific region. The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to cooperate with BlackRock in three main areas: collaboration on domestic AI and renewable energy infrastructure, establishing an Asia-Pacific AI hub in Korea, and developing a global cooperation framework. The specific investment size and timeline by BlackRock will be determined by forming a task force.

Yonhap News Agency

OpenAI has also recently launched its Korean branch, OpenAI Korea, and is pursuing ways to connect the AI ecosystem with Kakao. At the launch ceremony of OpenAI Korea, Jason Kwon, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), stated, "Korea is the optimal location for AI innovation, with world-class infrastructure, innovative companies, and rapid digital adoption," adding, "Through advanced technology and diverse collaborations, we aim to drive AI transformation and innovation across industry, academia, and government." OpenAI is also seeking cooperation with companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK in the semiconductor and hardware sectors.

Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, and Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, will also attend the meeting between President Lee and CEO Altman. An official from the Presidential Office explained, "With this meeting as an opportunity, the government and OpenAI intend to cooperate for Korea's AI transformation and the development of the AI ecosystem."

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