The 2026 SME AX Leaders Forum, which discusses small and midsize enterprises' artificial intelligence transformation (AX) strategies, opened on the 9th at the Westin Josun Hotel in Jung District, Seoul.
Hosted by ChosunBiz, the forum was held under the theme "SME AX scale-up and the future of K-business." It was prepared to share cases of corporations achieving results through AI transformation and to explore growth strategies for small and midsize enterprises.
The SME AX Leaders Forum, first held last year as Korea's first event focused on SME AX, returned for a second year. While last year focused on assessing the need for digital transformation among small and midsize enterprises, this year placed emphasis on real adoption outcomes and strategies for wider diffusion.
Kim Young-su, CEO of ChosunBiz, said in opening remarks, "We hope this forum will serve as a stepping stone for domestic small and midsize enterprises to rise as new leaders of the Korean economy," and added, "We hope innovation using AI becomes a starting point for entering the global market."
Attendees included Huh Sung-moo of the Democratic Party of Korea, Lee Byeong-gweon, second vice minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Lee Dal-gon, chair of the Win-Win Growth Committee, Cho Joo-hyun, president of the Korea SMEs & Startups Institute (KOSI), Ban Jeong-sik, standing executive director of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME), Kim Myung-jin, president of the Main-Biz Association, Song Chi-young, president of the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise (KFME), Park Kyung-min, president of the Korea Small Business Association, and Choi Byung-cheol, president of the Korea Society of Venture Startups.
The keynote speech was delivered by Kim Chang-hyun, professor at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). Next, Myung Chang-guk, executive director in charge of the smart logistics center and robotics business at LG CNS, and Kim Dong-hwan, CEO of Nexeed Ventures, are scheduled to present AI transition cases and growth strategies.