About 200 officials from startups and small and midsize corporations on the 9th examined the changes brought by artificial intelligence (AI) and explored growth strategies by learning about AI transformation (AX) cases at the "2026 SME AX Leaders Forum" hosted by ChosunBiz at the Westin Josun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul.
The "SME AX Leaders Forum" is a specialized forum in the small venture field that ChosunBiz, the economic outlet of the Chosun Media Group, launched last year as the nation's first with the goal of spreading AI transformation (AX) among small and midsize corporations. This year, it shared real cases of corporations that achieved results through AI and presented concrete execution strategies.
Attendees included Lee Byeong-gweon, Vice Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups; Huh Sung-moo, lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea; Chairperson Lee Dal-gon of the Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership; Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise (KFME) President Song Chi-young; Korea SMEs & Startups Institute (KOSI) President Cho Joo-hyun; Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME) Executive Director Ban Jeong-sik; Main-Biz Association President Kim Myung-jin; and officials from small and midsize corporation societies.
The forum examined ongoing changes by introducing not only China's AI ecosystem-building strategy but also factory and logistics innovations within corporations led by physical AI. Later, corporations in cosmetics, defense, and biotech shared their own AX cases and discussed ways to strengthen business competitiveness.
One attendee said it was "an opportunity to see firsthand how AI is being used in industry." The attendee added, "AI is changing the world, but we always wrestle with how to use it," noting, "Compared with large corporations, small and midsize corporations have limits in staffing, so the presentation showing they can use AI to boost work efficiency and deliver results particularly stood out."
Another attendee noted, "What struck me in the panel discussion was the comment that 'SMEs shouldn't run AX projects—just do AI.'" The attendee explained, "I had worried a lot about AX plans and methods, but instead of worrying, I gained the courage to start small."
The government and the National Assembly also signaled they would create conditions for small and midsize corporations to actively use AI.
The Vice Minister emphasized, "AI is a key growth tool that raises productivity on manufacturing floors, expands customer management and sales channels for microbusiness owners, and accelerates the global expansion of small and midsize corporations and startups," adding, "We will concentrate policy capacity so that small and midsize corporations, startups, and microbusiness owners can become the main drivers of growth in the era of AI transformation."
Huh said, "SME AX is not about boosting the sales of individual corporations but about strengthening the backbone of Korea's manufacturing ecosystem," adding, "It is the surest strategy to safeguard the technological sovereignty of the national industry."