South Korea’s Top Business Forum Opens With Artificial Intelligence at the Center
South Korea’s business leaders gathered this week on the southern island of Jeju for an annual summer strategy meeting focused on one of the biggest questions facing companies around the world: how to adapt to the age of artificial intelligence.
The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Jeju Forum opened at the Shilla Jeju Hotel in Seogwipo on July 15, bringing together about 500 executives and business representatives from major corporations, small and midsized companies, and regional business groups. Now in its 49th year, the four-day gathering is considered one of the country’s most influential business forums.
For American audiences, the event can be understood as a high-level corporate leadership retreat similar in purpose to major industry conferences in the United States, where executives gather away from their headquarters to discuss economic trends, emerging technologies and long-term strategy. Unlike a trade show focused on products, the Jeju Forum serves as a place for Korea’s business community to debate national economic priorities.
This year’s central theme is artificial intelligence. But the discussion is not simply about buying new software or adding AI tools to existing operations. Korean business leaders are increasingly framing AI as a fundamental transformation of how companies operate, make decisions and organize their workforce.
A Message From SK Chairman Chey Tae-won: AI Requires a New Way of Working
Chey Tae-won, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and chairman of SK Group, delivered the opening remarks with a message that reflected both confidence and urgency.
Chey said South Korea had successfully turned previous waves of change, including industrialization and the information technology revolution, into opportunities for economic growth. He argued that artificial intelligence represents another major turning point that the country cannot afford to miss.
The significance of his remarks lies in the distinction between adopting AI and transforming through AI. Many companies globally have experimented with generative AI tools, automation platforms and data systems. However, executives increasingly recognize that technology alone does not guarantee productivity gains. Organizations must also rethink workflows, management structures and decision-making processes.
Chey’s message reflects a broader global debate among business leaders. Companies from Silicon Valley to Seoul are asking similar questions: Should AI simply help employees complete existing tasks faster, or should it fundamentally change how companies are designed?
In South Korea, the issue carries particular importance because the country’s economic success has historically depended on rapid adaptation. From becoming a manufacturing powerhouse after the Korean War to developing globally competitive technology companies, South Korea has built its economy around responding quickly to major shifts.
Business leaders now see AI as the next major test of that ability.
Why Jeju Became the Meeting Place for Korea’s Corporate Strategy Debate
Jeju Island, located south of the Korean mainland, is one of South Korea’s most popular tourism destinations, known for volcanic landscapes, beaches and luxury resorts. The island has also become a symbolic location for leadership meetings, where executives can step away from daily business pressures and focus on long-term planning.
The Jeju Forum’s setting at a resort hotel reflects a long-standing tradition in Korean business culture: using off-site gatherings to build relationships, exchange ideas and discuss challenges that may not fit into regular corporate meetings.
The participation of executives from both large companies and smaller businesses highlights the broad impact of AI across the economy. South Korea’s major corporations, known as chaebol, have global operations in industries such as electronics, automobiles, shipbuilding and chemicals. At the same time, millions of smaller companies provide essential parts, services and regional economic activity.
The presence of both groups indicates that AI adoption is no longer viewed as a concern limited to technology companies or multinational corporations. Business leaders increasingly see it as an economy-wide challenge.
For smaller companies, however, the transition may be more complicated. While large corporations can invest heavily in AI research teams and digital infrastructure, smaller firms often face obstacles involving cost, technical expertise and access to talent. Discussions at forums like Jeju are therefore important because they bring different parts of the business ecosystem into the same conversation.
South Korea Wants AI to Become a Growth Strategy, Not Just a Technology Project
The debate at the Jeju Forum reflects a larger shift in how companies around the world view artificial intelligence. Early discussions often focused on specific applications, such as chatbots, automated customer service or productivity assistants. The current conversation has moved toward organizational transformation.
When executives talk about changing the way companies work, they are referring to a wide range of changes. These include how information moves inside organizations, how quickly decisions are made, how employees collaborate and how companies respond to customers.
For example, an AI system may help engineers analyze data faster, but the larger opportunity comes when the entire research and development process changes. A company may use AI to identify market trends earlier, test ideas more efficiently and reduce the time needed to bring products to consumers.
The same applies to manufacturing, finance, logistics and retail. AI can influence everything from supply chain management to customer service. The challenge for executives is not simply finding individual uses for AI, but redesigning business models around new capabilities.
This approach is especially relevant for South Korea, a country whose economy relies heavily on exports and global competition. Korean companies have long competed through manufacturing efficiency, technological innovation and speed. Maintaining that advantage in the AI era will require changes beyond traditional investment in factories and equipment.
The Challenge of Bringing Large Corporations and Small Businesses Into the AI Era
One of the key issues highlighted by the Jeju Forum is whether the benefits of artificial intelligence can spread throughout the entire economy.
Large Korean corporations have already invested heavily in AI research, cloud computing and automation. Companies in electronics, automotive manufacturing and telecommunications are developing AI systems to improve production, design and customer experiences.
Small and midsized businesses face a different reality. Many have limited resources and may struggle to determine which AI technologies provide practical value. A small manufacturer, restaurant supplier or local service company may understand that AI matters but lack the staff or budget to begin implementation.
This creates a challenge not only for individual companies but also for the broader economy. If AI transformation occurs only among large corporations, productivity improvements may remain concentrated among a small group of firms.
The involvement of regional chambers of commerce and business representatives at the forum suggests that Korean policymakers and business organizations are paying attention to this gap. The goal is not only to create advanced AI companies but also to help traditional industries use AI effectively.
The Korean economy has historically depended on strong connections between large companies and networks of suppliers. For that reason, AI transformation may require cooperation across entire industries rather than isolated corporate projects.
A New Chapter in Korea’s Long History of Economic Transformation
Chey Tae-won’s comments at the forum drew attention to South Korea’s history of adapting to major economic changes. The country’s transformation from a developing economy into one of the world’s leading technology and manufacturing nations is often cited as one of the most dramatic economic success stories of the modern era.
During the industrialization period, Korean companies built strength in manufacturing and exports. During the information technology era, they expanded into semiconductors, telecommunications and digital services. Today, business leaders are asking whether AI can become the next engine of growth.
For international observers, the importance of the Jeju Forum is not only about Korea’s domestic economy. South Korean companies compete globally, and their decisions often influence industries worldwide. Changes in Korean manufacturing, technology investment and corporate strategy can affect international supply chains and markets.
The forum also reflects a broader reality facing companies everywhere: artificial intelligence is becoming a management issue, not just a technology issue. Executives must decide how to balance automation with human expertise, how to train employees and how to redesign organizations for a rapidly changing environment.
What Global Businesses Can Learn From Korea’s AI Discussion
The 2026 Jeju Forum offers a window into how one of Asia’s most technology-focused economies is approaching the AI transition. The main message from Korean business leaders is that the future will not be determined simply by which companies purchase the most advanced tools. It will depend on which organizations successfully redesign themselves around those tools.
The four-day gathering in Jeju comes at a time when businesses worldwide are facing similar questions. Companies in the United States, Europe and Asia are all exploring how AI can improve productivity while creating new opportunities for growth.
South Korea’s approach emphasizes speed, adaptation and organizational change. The country’s business community believes that its previous experience navigating economic transformations provides a foundation for the AI era.
Whether that confidence translates into sustained competitiveness remains an open question. AI adoption requires investment, skilled workers and careful management. But the Jeju Forum demonstrates that Korean companies are treating artificial intelligence not as a passing trend, but as a defining economic challenge of the next decade.
For global business leaders watching Asia’s technology landscape, South Korea’s AI strategy will be an important indicator of how traditional industrial economies can reinvent themselves in the age of intelligent machines.
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