Korea's political leaders pledged to fulfill their policy role in helping the country emerge as an artificial intelligence (AI) powerhouse. Amid intensifying global competition for AI hegemony, they expressed bipartisan commitment to bolstering national competitiveness.
National Assembly Vice Speaker Lee Hak-young said at the Seoul Forum 2026, held at the Shilla Hotel in Jung-gu, central Seoul, on the 27th, "The whole world is now fiercely competing to seize the rapidly changing AI hegemony." He added, "We are also running hard to be reborn as an 'AI powerhouse.'" Lee also stressed, "We must always remember that even in the AI era, 'human dignity' is the top value that can never be compromised." He emphasized, "In January this year, the AI Framework Act took effect for the first time in the world, laying a solid legal foundation for a new era." He continued, "On that framework, we will meticulously support — through legislation and policy — efforts to extend our technology so it can lead the world, and to ensure that the principle of human-centered AI takes firm root in our society and workplaces."
Rep. Park Soo-min of the People Power Party stressed, "I didn't realize AI would advance and be applied to industry and daily life this fast." He added, "We need to remember Peter Drucker's words: 'The most reliable way to predict the future is to create it.'" Park also emphasized, "In the future that AI will bring, I believe we must build a 'leader's future,' not a 'follower's future.'" Park said Seoul, Korea, is well suited to the "future of an AI leader." He said, "Korea is the place that has most boldly embraced the path of industrialization, informatization, and globalization." He added, "In particular, I think the human civilization that will walk alongside AI will be realized faster and more boldly in Seoul." He continued, "The National Assembly will also do its utmost so that Korea, a nation of innovation, can walk together with AI."
