The government, industry, academia, and research institutions gathered in one place to grow Korea's physical AI industry to a global level. Physical AI refers to physical devices equipped with AI. Humanoids and self-driving cars are cited as representative physical AI industries.
The Ministry of Science and ICT held the "Physical AI Global Alliance launch ceremony" at 9:30 a.m. on the 29th in the Grand Ballroom of the Ambassador Seoul Pullman Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul.
Attendees included Minister Bae Kyung-hun of the Ministry of Science and ICT, Vice Minister Mun Shin-hak of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Vice Minister Noh Yong-seok of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. From the National Assembly, Rep. Lee Seong-yun of the Democratic Party of Korea and Rep. Choi Hyung-du of the People Power Party attended. Also present were Deputy Chair Im Moon-young of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee, Cho Jun-hee, president of the Korea Artificial Intelligence and Software Industry Association (KOSA), and Park Yoon-kyu, head of the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA).
According to the government, about 250 corporations and institutions are participating in the "Physical AI Global Alliance." Many corporate executives also attended the launch event. The list included Cho Gil-seong, CEO of Doosan Robotics; Lee Sang-gyun, CEO of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries; Hwang Hee, CEO of Kakao Healthcare; Kwak Noh-jung, CEO of SK hynix; Im Woo-hyung, head of the LG AI Research Institute; Kim Yu-won, CEO of Naver Cloud; Min Ki-sik, CEO of SK shieldus; and Yoon Jeong-won, CEO of AWS Korea. From academia, Lee Kwang-hyung, president of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), also attended.
Minister Bae said, "Physical AI is a core AI technology that connects AI with the real world and is emerging at the center of the global power competition," adding, "Through the Physical AI Global Alliance, we aim to lay the foundation for Korea to secure sovereignty in physical AI technology and build world-class technological competitiveness."
He continued, "The alliance launching today is structured so that the technology ecosystem divisions—technology, solutions, governance, and talent global cooperation—and the domain divisions—autonomous vehicles, fully autonomous robots, and advanced manufacturing—can collaborate with one another," stressing, "In particular, we plan to focus on solving difficult problems in industrial sites, cultivating talent, securing data, and advancing into global markets."
Specifically, major domestic and overseas industry, academia, research, and government bodies are participating in the alliance with the goal of securing Korea's global leadership in physical AI. The Ministers of the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups; Rep. Jeong Dong-yeong of the Democratic Party of Korea; Rep. Choi Hyung-du of the People Power Party; the president of the Korea Artificial Intelligence and Software Industry Association; and the president of the Korea Automobile & Mobility Association—seven in total—will serve as co-chairs. Participants include physical AI demand and supply corporations such as Hyundai Motor, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, and the LG AI Research Institute, as well as universities and research institutes.
Specifically, it is composed of five ecosystem divisions (▲ technology ▲ solutions ▲ governance ▲ talent ▲ global cooperation) and five domain divisions (▲ ADV (AI Defined Vehicle) ▲ fully autonomous robots ▲ flagship industries ▲ wellis tech ▲ ACR (AI Computing Resource)), 10 divisions in total. Corporate executives will lead each division and discuss policy directions and the feasibility of on-site application. The National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA) will serve as the alliance secretariat to support operations.
Minister Bae emphasized that "the alliance will lead all-around innovation in Korea's physical AI ecosystem and serve as a cooperation platform for industry, academia, research, and government."