President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hye-kyung pose for a photo with flower girls at a luncheon with the Korean diaspora held at a hotel in San Francisco on Saturday (local time). [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hye-kyung pose for a photo with flower girls at a luncheon with the Korean diaspora held at a hotel in San Francisco on Saturday (local time). [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae Myung, on a state visit to San Francisco, met with members of the Korean diaspora on Saturday (local time) and spoke about South Korea's transformed global standing. "In the past, when people thought of South Korea, they pictured children wandering the streets after losing their parents in war," he said. "Now, the world's industries cannot function without Korea's semiconductor factories. We have completely changed the image of Korea."

Lee made the remarks at a luncheon with Korean community members held at a hotel in downtown San Francisco. "Just as humanity discovered fire and a new history began, a time will come when we cannot live without artificial intelligence," he said. He added that "a new era — the age of AI — is opening" and that he believed "a truly new opportunity has come for South Korea."

Lee said AI had already elevated South Korea's standing and would continue to create new opportunities. Pointing to the country's strengths in preparing for the AI era, he said South Koreans "have many advantages" and cited the nation's experience with democracy.

"Among countries that gained independence from colonial rule, South Korea is the only one to have achieved both democratization and industrialization at the same time — a truly great people," Lee said. He also noted that South Korea had peacefully overcome what he described as a coup attempt that would statistically succeed more than 90 percent of the time, calling it "a great peaceful revolution unlike anything in world history."

Lee said democracy itself becomes a core driver of industrial and economic development in an advanced technology society. "Rationality, objectivity, transparency and predictability cannot help but greatly contribute to economic growth," he said.

He also said South Korea was rising as a cultural power that influences the world — as the late independence activist Kim Gu had envisioned — and that such cultural strength goes hand in hand with democracy.

President Lee Jae Myung delivers remarks at a luncheon with the Korean diaspora held at a hotel in San Francisco on Saturday (local time). [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung delivers remarks at a luncheon with the Korean diaspora held at a hotel in San Francisco on Saturday (local time). [Yonhap]

About 200 members of the Korean community attended the luncheon, including representatives of major diaspora organizations such as the Korean Association of San Francisco and the Bay Area and the Korean-American Association of Silicon Valley, advisers to the National Unification Advisory Council, and figures from religious, arts and education circles — all within the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Korea in San Francisco.

In his welcoming remarks on behalf of the community, Korean Association of San Francisco President Kim Han-il noted that the city holds a special place in Korean history. "San Francisco is a sacred site of Korea's independence movement and the heart of Korean immigrant history," he said, citing the dedication of pioneers including independence activist Ahn Chang-ho and Pastor Lee Dae-wi.

Kim also said the president's vision — that South Korea should advance beyond being a country the world watches to one the world needs, in the fields of AI, advanced industry, energy transition, and diplomacy and security — "gives overseas Koreans great pride and hope." He pledged that the diaspora would stand alongside South Korea on its path to becoming a respected and trusted advanced nation.

President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hye-kyung salute the national flag at a luncheon with the Korean diaspora held at a hotel in San Francisco on Saturday (local time). [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hye-kyung salute the national flag at a luncheon with the Korean diaspora held at a hotel in San Francisco on Saturday (local time). [Yonhap]

Kim Ji-hyun, Silicon Valley chapter president of the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association, urged the government to do more for Korean researchers abroad. "Talented Korean scientists and engineers overseas hesitate to return to Korea because of differences in research funding, long-term support, and the environment for startups and investment," she said. She called on the government to expand research programs and support systems that allow young scientists and engineers to pursue their work with stability over the long term.

In his closing remarks, Lee said the challenges facing diaspora Koreans are not merely personal but shared by all — and by South Korea itself. "I will build a South Korea where it is not you who worry about the homeland, but the homeland that worries about you," he said.


moone@heraldcorp.com