KT CEO Koo Hyun-mo: "I Want to Be Called 'Korea Tech' Not 'Korea Telecom'"

KT CEO Koo Hyun-mo is delivering a welcome speech at the 'Digital-X Summit 2022' held online on the 14th. Photo by KT

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[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] KT CEO Koo Hyun-mo emphasized the necessity of digital transformation (DX) to corporate clients on the 14th, stating, "KT also hopes to be called not 'Korea Telecom' anymore, but 'Korea Tech' and 'Korea Transformation.'"

At the 'Digital-X Summit 2022' held online the previous day under the theme "Adding Digital Technology to the Changing Ways Companies Work," CEO Koo said, "KT is not only providing telecommunication services to individual customers but is also achieving digital transformation by expanding services to business-to-business (B2B) and digital platforms."

CEO Koo also stressed, "The changes brought by digital transformation are not limited to large-scale companies but also apply to government agencies, local governments, mid-sized companies, small and medium enterprises, and all small business owners around us without exception."

Held for the third consecutive year, this conference was organized to explain key B2B business areas such as Artificial Intelligence Contact Center (AICC), robotics, telecommunication DX, and safety DX to companies demanding digital transformation. It also included Q&A sessions on cost reduction effects, actual use cases, and solutions tailored to each company's needs.

The AICC is a system that optimizes the entire operation of customer centers based on technologies such as voice recognition, speech synthesis, text analysis, and dialogue engines, and is utilized in home shopping and food service businesses. When asked about cost reduction effects, Choi Jung-gi, Head of AI/Big Data Business Division, said, "Simple calculations are difficult, but the reduction in counselor time and the decrease in call volume returning to the customer center reduce overall operating costs." For example, applying KT's 'AI Counseling Assistant' reduced counselor costs by 8%, and as the number of complaint-related customer center responses decreased, an additional 130,000 hours of sales time were secured.

Additionally, cases of hotels and restaurants adopting KT robots, and applications of telecommunication DX technologies such as 5G MEC in university hospitals, cafes, and airports were introduced. Cases of construction companies and automobile manufacturers adopting industrial safety DX technologies were also mentioned. Shin Soo-jung, Head of KT Enterprise Division, said, "KT will continue to strive to become an even better partner in promoting DX across various sectors including large corporations, SMEs, public enterprises, local governments, and small merchants."

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