This post was originally published on here
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon speaks during a presentation event for the national AI foundation model project at Coex in southern Seoul, Dec. 30, 2025. Yonhap
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon will attend the upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026, slated to run from Monday through Feb. 20 in New Delhi, leading the Korean government delegation.
The summit is expected to serve as a high-level platform that gathers representatives from about 100 countries, as well as industry and academic leaders, to discuss artificial intelligence (AI) governance and its social impact.
This year’s event will be the fourth summit, and it is especially meaningful as it will be hosted for the first time in a developing nation.
During the event, Bae plans to emphasize the importance of global cooperation to ensure that advances in AI technology translate into shared prosperity for humanity, underscoring Korea’s intent to play a leading role.
He will also present on the country’s experience in digital transformation across sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing and education; its strength in semiconductors and digital infrastructure; and its policy experience with the recently-implemented revised AI basic law.
“The India AI Impact Summit will serve as a key opportunity for Korea to move beyond its role as a simple technology powerhouse and deepen its capabilities and partnerships to lead in global AI governance, building on the past Seoul summit and the APEC AI initiative,” the minister said.
“It is also significant in that it expands Korea’s ‘AI diplomacy’ engagement with global south countries,” he noted.
The term global south refers to a wide group of economically disadvantaged nations across North and South America, Asia, Africa and other regions.
On the sidelines, Bae plans to meet with officials from the United States and other major countries, as well as executives from global AI companies, to explore joint initiatives, focusing on practical and technical cooperation based on Korea’s strength in semiconductors and digital infrastructure.
Key figures from major tech companies, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Meta Chief AI Officer Alexander Wang and Gates Foundation Chair Bill Gates, are set to attend the summit.
On Feb. 20, the minister will co-chair the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI) Council with Singapore as a ministerial-level meeting to oversee discussions on the future direction of international AI governance.
In his address, he is expected to call for the global community to move beyond technological development toward pursuing responsible use and tangible social betterment. He will also talk about the importance of evidence-based policymaking built through cooperation with the OECD, sharing Korea’s vision of an “AI basic society” where access to AI benefits are granted to all.
