Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
AMCHAM launches AI Leadership Council to bolster Korea-US AI cooperation
AMCHAM Chairman James Kim, center, poses with participants at the AMCHAM AI Forum 2026 in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of AMCHAM.
By Lee Gyu-lee
The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) on Thursday launched an AI Leadership Council aimed at strengthening public-private cooperation and supporting Korea's ambition to become a global artificial intelligence powerhouse.
The announcement came during the AMCHAM AI Forum 2026 in Seoul under the theme "Powering Korea's AI Future: Partnership, Policy and Scale." More than 150 government officials, business executives and technology experts from Korea and the United States attended the event to discuss AI policy, investment and industrial competitiveness.
The newly established council brings together senior executives from major global companies, including Apple, Amazon Web Services, Cisco, Cohere, Corning, J.P. Morgan, Lam Research, OpenAI, PTC, Qualcomm and Tesla. Chaired by AMCHAM Chairman and CEO James Kim, the council will provide industry perspectives on AI policy, regulation, data governance and ecosystem development while promoting closer collaboration between the government and private sector.
"Korea has a unique opportunity to help shape the next era of global innovation," Kim said in his opening remarks.
"Realizing that opportunity will take more than technology — it will take partnership, sound policy and the ability to scale. Through the AMCHAM AI Leadership Council, we look forward to strengthening public-private collaboration and deepening U.S.-Korea cooperation to help ensure Korea remains globally competitive."
Rep. Cha Ji-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea outlined the country's national AI strategy, followed by congratulatory remarks from James Heller, chargé d'affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.
The keynote session featured Spencer Kim, vice president and president of Qualcomm Korea, and James Ryu, president of the AI Committee at SK SUPEX Council.
Kim said agentic AI will fundamentally reshape user experiences beginning next year by enabling AI systems to understand context across multiple devices and deliver real-time outcomes. He said Qualcomm will continue expanding partnerships in areas including smartphones, PCs, automotive, robotics and data centers.
Ryu said Korea's competitiveness in the AI era will depend on producing high-quality AI tokens efficiently, adding that SK Group aims to help transform the country from a semiconductor exporter into an AI token exporter.
Kim Kyeong-man, deputy minister for AI policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, presented the government's "K-AI Blueprint 2026," saying Seoul will continue strengthening the country's AI ecosystem while expanding international cooperation as it pursues its goal of becoming one of the world's top three AI nations.
Industry sessions covered AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, governance, manufacturing and investment. Speakers included Kim Young-hoon of Amazon Web Services, Helen Teixeira of Palo Alto Networks, Jason Chan of UL Solutions, Alex Kim of PTC and Lee Ji-hyung, president and CEO of Invest Seoul, who discussed AI adoption, cyber resilience, governance standards and Seoul's efforts to attract global AI investment.