President Lee Jae Myung unveiled the San Francisco AI Declaration, outlining a plan to make South Korea an indispensable global hub where AI is built and supplied, rapidly deployed, expanded into new markets and developed responsibly so its benefits are widely shared.
“From now on, the Republic of Korea will chart a vision for the future of AI, work with the world and help build a better future for humanity,” Lee said at the San Francisco AI Summit on Friday.
“The Republic of Korea will become a global AI production base and a breeding ground for innovation, and leap forward as an indispensable global AI cooperation platform connecting technology, capital, talent and ideas from around the world,” he added.
Lee delivered the declaration before four titans of the US artificial intelligence industry, each of whom he had met separately earlier in the day during his first engagements after arriving in San Francisco.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Broadcom President and CEO Hock Tan sat onstage alongside South Korean business leaders as Lee delivered the declaration from the podium.
The summit also brought together some of South Korea’s most prominent industrial and technology leaders, including Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun and Naver founder and chair Lee Hae-jin.
At the heart of Lee’s strategy is a pledge to make South Korea “an indispensable core country in the global AI supply chain.”
“Building on our world-class competitiveness and production capabilities in memory semiconductors, we will become a trusted production base and supply-chain partner for AI chips,” Lee said. “We will enable companies around the world to reliably build AI infrastructure and continue technological innovation under any circumstances.”
The declaration follows South Korea’s unveiling in late June of three megaprojects spanning semiconductors, AI data centers and physical AI. The plan seeks to build on the country’s dominance in memory chips to secure a broader role in the fast-evolving global industry.
Seoul plans to establish multiple semiconductor production hubs across the capital region and other parts of the country, creating a national safeguard designed to keep factories running during supply disruptions. Lee called the network “a responsible investment by the Republic of Korea to prevent global semiconductor shortages.”
Lee’s vision also calls for South Korea to become a major source of AI demand rather than merely a supplier of the hardware behind it.
“The Republic of Korea will spread AI throughout industrial sites, public services and people’s daily lives faster than anywhere else, creating new demand and markets,” Lee said.
Lee pledged to turn the country into “a global AI test bed and production platform” where the technology moves beyond laboratories and digital spaces to operate in factories, cities and logistics centers.
Lee also introduced the Korean government’s plan to launch an “AI for All” project for the country’s roughly 50 million people by the end of this year, expanding the technology’s use in public administration, welfare and education.
“Choose the Republic of Korea as the stage for innovation and investment where your technology and ideas can be turned into reality faster than anywhere else,” Lee told the business leaders. “The Korean people and Korean companies will be your most reliable partners.”
The declaration also positions South Korea as a hub for expanding the global AI market beyond the countries that currently lead the technology.
“The Republic of Korea will become a global hub that expands the global AI market. We will not remain merely a country that uses AI,” Lee said.
“We will build horizontal cooperation networks with a diverse range of countries to create new AI markets and enable people in more countries to participate in the opportunities presented by AI innovation.”
Lee stressed that such cooperation shouldn’t be confined to technological leaders.
South Korea is working with international organizations on a Global AI Hub Initiative under the vision of “AI for All” and “AI for Solving Humanity’s Challenges.”
“The Republic of Korea will be a responsible partner that shares the opportunities and benefits of AI with the world and grows together with it, rather than pursuing its own growth alone,” Lee said.
The declaration further calls for AI to “develop in a more responsible and human-centered way,” with its gains creating new opportunities for everyone rather than remaining concentrated among a limited number of companies or social groups.
“Technological progress and economic gains alone cannot complete the future of AI,” Lee said. “No country has a perfect answer yet. That is why the Republic of Korea, too, intends to deliberate, experiment and search for new solutions together with the world.”
Lee said his proposed “AI Basic Society” would use the technology to strengthen access to education, healthcare and other basic rights while ensuring that small and midsize companies, small-business owners and vulnerable groups aren’t left behind.
“Build the bold future you envision for the AI era together with the Republic of Korea,” Lee said. “The Republic of Korea promises to be your most reliable partner.”
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com