Yoonjong Jeon Inaugurated as President of KIAT: "Innovation Through Three Pillars of Technology Hegemony, AX, and Balanced Development"

Strengthening Role as Policy Partner for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

"Enhancing Execution by Organically Connecting Nine Core Functions"

Yunjong Jeon, newly appointed President of the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology.

Yoonjong Jeon, the newly appointed President of the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT), officially took office on April 20. His term will last three years.

In his inaugural address on this day, President Jeon stated, "We will redefine KIAT's role with a focus on responding to the global technology hegemony race, accelerating the industrial artificial intelligence transformation (AX), and promoting balanced national development." He added, "I will transform KIAT into a stronger execution-oriented organization and a trusted policy partner for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy."

President Jeon graduated from the Department of Economics at Seoul National University and obtained a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. He began his public service career by passing the 36th Civil Service Examination in 1993 and held key positions in trade and industrial policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Since 2022, he has served as President of the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT) for more than three years.

He defined KIAT's role as "a platform that connects policy and projects to enhance the execution of industrial technology innovation." He emphasized that KIAT is not just an agency for project implementation but an institution that anticipates technological trends, designs policy, and ensures its effectiveness on the ground.

He also presented the organic connection of KIAT's nine core functions as a key task. His vision is to integrate the entire cycle—from establishing industrial technology policy, strengthening materials, parts, and equipment supply chains, building infrastructure, fostering regional industries, nurturing talent, promoting international cooperation, supporting mid-sized companies, driving regulatory innovation, to facilitating technology commercialization—into one seamless flow.

To achieve this, President Jeon proposed three major directions: ▲proactive response to technology hegemony competition, ▲leading the industrial artificial intelligence transformation (AX), and ▲supporting balanced national development based on the "5 Regions, 3 Specializations" framework.

Regarding the response to the technology hegemony competition, he said, "We will increase the precision of policies to secure strategic technologies and stabilize supply chains, and design support measures that companies can truly feel."

On the industrial AX transformation, he remarked, "AI is a key element changing the way industries compete, but small and medium-sized enterprises still face low accessibility. We will establish an integrated support system covering everything from technology development and talent training to regulatory innovation and commercialization."

Regarding support for balanced national development based on the "5 Regions, 3 Specializations," he stated, "We will design strategies tailored to the industrial characteristics of each region and connect regional industries, talent, investment, regulation, and global expansion. Our goal is to help each region function as a genuine growth engine."

President Jeon concluded, "Each policy and project determines corporate growth, industrial competitiveness, regional vitality, and the nation's future. I will ensure that KIAT is recognized in the field as a trustworthy institution."

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