What is the K-Voice AI Alliance developing, and which organizations are involved?

LG Uplus, Seoul National University, KAIST and Yonsei University are working on Korean-focused voice AI, including a platform called the K-Voice Engine and performance evaluation standards for Korean-language voice AI.

How will the K-Voice AI Alliance’s voice-to-voice technology work differently from traditional voice AI?

The planned technology will understand spoken language and respond with speech without first converting the conversation into text. The article says traditional systems handle speech recognition, response generation and voice output in separate stages, which can cause delays and unnatural-sounding responses.

What research will SNU, KAIST and Yonsei University each conduct for the K-Voice AI Alliance?

SNU will work on adapting AI’s speaking style and voice to different situations. KAIST will study identifying whom to address in group conversations and retaining context over long exchanges, while Yonsei will assess customer understanding and consultation completion in voice-AI customer service.

LG Uplus joins SNU, Yonsei, KAIST to develop Korean-focused voice AI

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Summary

LG Uplus launched the K-Voice AI Alliance on Monday with Seoul National University, KAIST and Yonsei University to develop voice AI tailored to Korean speakers. The partnership will focus on technology that understands spoken language and responds directly with speech, as well as shared performance standards and the K-Voice Engine platform. Each university will research a different area, and LG Uplus plans to gradually incorporate the findings into its services.

Key Facts

The alliance’s voice-to-voice technology is designed to process spoken language and generate spoken responses without first converting conversations into text.
SNU will research how AI can adapt its speaking style and voice to different situations while responding naturally to users.
KAIST will study how AI can identify whom to address in group conversations and retain context during extended exchanges.
Yonsei University will examine how well customers understand explanations and complete consultations when voice AI is used in customer service.
Lee Sang-yeob, LG Uplus chief technology officer, said the partnership aims to develop technology tailored to Korean people and the Korean language and help ensure fewer people, including older adults, are left behind in the AI era.

By Lee Kyung-min

Published Nov 9, 2026 1:33 pm KST

LG Uplus Chief Technology Officer Lee Sang-yeob, fourth from left, poses with Lee Kyo-gu, a professor at Seoul National University's Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, third from right, and other officials and industry experts during a signing ceremony for the K-Voice AI Alliance at the company's headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of LG Uplus

LG Uplus is joining forces with three leading Korean universities to develop artificial intelligence (AI) that can understand not only what people say but also their tone, emotions and conversational context, in a push to make interactions between humans and machines more natural.

The telecommunications company said Monday it had launched the K-Voice AI Alliance with Seoul National University (SNU), the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Yonsei University.

The partnership aims to combine LG Uplus' experience in voice AI services with the universities' research capabilities to develop technology specifically tailored to Korean speakers.

The project will focus on voice-to-voice (V2V) technology, which allows AI to understand spoken language directly and respond with speech, without first converting conversations into text.

Traditional voice AI systems process speech recognition, response generation and voice output in separate stages, a process that can cause delays and produce unnatural-sounding responses.

The alliance plans to establish performance evaluation standards for Korean-language voice AI and jointly develop a platform called the K-Voice Engine for use in various services.

Each university will focus on a different area of research.

SNU will develop technology that enables AI to adjust its speaking style and voice to different situations while responding naturally to users.

KAIST will research how AI can identify whom to address in group conversations and retain context during extended exchanges.

Yonsei University will examine how effectively customers understand explanations and complete consultations when voice AI is used in customer service.

LG Uplus plans to gradually incorporate the research findings into its voice AI services.

Lee Sang-yeob, chief technology officer of LG Uplus, said voice was essential to making AI accessible and natural for everyone.

“Voice is an important means of enabling everyone to use AI easily and naturally,” Lee said.

“Through this academic-industry partnership, we will secure K-Voice AI technology tailored to Korean people and the Korean language, provide customers with new voice AI experiences and strengthen our technological competitiveness so that fewer people, including older adults, are left behind in the AI era,” he said.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

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