The 2025 advanced industry standards leadership forum general assembly, hosted by the National Institute of Technology and Standards of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and organized by the Korea Standards Association, the Korea Industrial Technology Association, and the Council of Deans of Korea Institutes of Technology, with support from ChosunBiz, concluded on the 12th.
The event was held to bring together experts from government, industry, and academia to review the status of standardization in advanced industries and discuss future policy directions.
At the event, the Top 10 standards that changed the world and the Top 10 standards that changed the lives and economy of Koreans, selected by more than 100 experts from industry, academia, research, and media, were announced.
Mobile communications was selected as No. 1 among the standards that changed the world. Based on high-speed wireless communications, the digital and mobile revolutions took place, becoming a singularity that changed modern life.
In addition, the following (in no particular order) were selected as the Top 10 standards that changed the world: ▲ barcodes and QR codes ▲ the World Wide Web (WWW) ▲ Wi-Fi & Bluetooth ▲ the personal computer (PC) ▲ USB ▲ screws (bolts & nuts) ▲ container specifications ▲ digital image and video compression technology ▲ paper sizes (A0, B0).
As for the standards that changed the lives and economy of Koreans, incandescent lamps, the first Korea Standard (KS), as well as ▲ the Hangul keyboard ▲ CDMA ▲ memory semiconductors ▲ color TV ▲ kimchi refrigerators ▲ masks ▲ transit cards ▲ pyeong → ㎡ ▲ Size Korea were selected.
At the forum, measures to strengthen responses to international standard trends and de facto standards were also announced.
According to the Korea Standards Association, since the establishment of a standardization strategy for advanced industries last year, Korea's proposals for international standards in advanced industries increased from an annual average of 20 to 40. There was also an optimistic outlook that the goal of appointing 300 Koreans to executive posts in international standardization organizations by 2030 will be achieved early.
The National Institute of Technology and Standards said it will also strengthen responses to de facto standards to enhance the export competitiveness of Korea's corporations.
At the standardization forum accelerating advanced industries, the current status of international standard development in advanced industry fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) technology and AI-converged products was shared, along with measures to strengthen responses to de facto standards. A de facto standard refers to a standard that is not accredited by an international body but is widely used after corporations form a group and set criteria. Park Jong-seop, head of standards policy at the National Institute of Technology and Standards, said, "In advanced industry fields where technology and products change rapidly, whether one preoccupies de facto standards has become a success factor for securing market dominance," adding, "The United States, as well as China and the EU, are seizing de facto standards and dominating markets."
The National Institute of Technology and Standards plans to build a public-private standard cooperation system centered on the International Standards Response Forum and the Manufacturing AX Alliance, which are operated by industry and require focused standardization in sectors such as AI, semiconductors, and robots, and to promote and respond to international standard development activities by future industry.
Lectures by AI experts from global corporations continued.
David Green, head of technology for Asia Pacific and Japan at Amazon Web Services (AWS), said, "More than 1 million AI robots are operating in logistics centers, and productivity has increased 20-fold," adding, "AI is now spreading across all sectors as a key driver of industrial innovation."
Green emphasized that infrastructure must be established first to maximize the utility of AI robots. He said, "You should build a complete system from day one (of AI robot deployment) without spending years on infrastructure," adding, "You must continuously train data and reliably manage facilities at 'edge locations' where remote and offline consolidation can be cut off."
Jan Leifhardt, CEO of OpenMind, which develops an operating system (OS) for AI robots, said, "As the wave of robots approaches, a huge opportunity for standardization has emerged," adding, "There is a significant gap in how machines of various forms and functions communicate with each other. Standards are needed in various information exchange methods such as charging and payments."
Leifhardt also highlighted positives regarding concerns such as job deterioration due to robot adoption. He emphasized, "Robots will not simply replace humans; they will open up entirely new and different possibilities."
Robot engineer Han Jae-gwon, a professor at Hanyang University, and Min Sang-yoon, CEO of Solutionlink, gave presentations on the industrialization outlook for Humanoid Robot and on international standardization trends in physical AI, respectively.
Professor Han Jae-gwon said, "Developing Humanoid Robot is truly advantageous for Korea, where many supporting industries are concentrated," adding, "We need to deploy robots to manufacturing sites and quickly make industrial data our own."
CEO Min Sang-yoon said, "Physical AI can transform the entire supply chain on Earth," adding, "Right now is the golden time to dominate that market with 'standards.'" He also pointed out the problem of slow technological progress due to the absence of standards. He said, "Even if physical AI is developed, explosive commercialization is impossible without related standards," adding, "The absence of standards is holding back industrial development."
Kim Dae-ja, head of the National Institute of Technology and Standards, said, "Amid rapid changes in the world, new rules determine who thrives and who falls behind, and at the core of those new rules—the new normal—there are always standards," adding, "To leap into the world's top three in AI, we will actively pursue the development of standards for advanced industries centered on AI-converged industries."
Im Chae-min, co-chair of the standards forum, emphasized, "In advanced fields, standards may often proceed first and technology may follow," adding, "We need to look at strategies on standards with a new perspective."
According to the National Institute of Technology and Standards, next month in Seoul, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the world's three major international standardization organizations, will jointly host the International AI Standards Summit. Global standards experts will discuss the role and direction of AI standards and are scheduled to announce the Seoul Statement.