Kim Jung-kwan, minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, delivers opening remarks at an AI transformation training session for senior officials at the rank of section chief and above, held Friday at Government Complex Sejong. [Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy]
Kim Jung-kwan, minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, delivers opening remarks at an AI transformation training session for senior officials at the rank of section chief and above, held Friday at Government Complex Sejong. [Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy]

South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Friday it will hold AI transformation training sessions for senior officials at the rank of section chief and above, as part of efforts to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence in the manufacturing sector.

The ministry is hosting two lectures on AI transformation, known as AX, at Government Complex Sejong — one on Friday and another on Tuesday.

Friday's session features Kim Ji-hyun, executive vice president of SK Group's AI committee, speaking on the latest AX trends and leadership competencies, followed by Choi Jae-sik, a KAIST professor, who will share major countries' manufacturing AI policies and corporate trends and outline directions for Korea's manufacturing sector.

Tuesday's session will feature Jeon Byung-wook, director of the Korea Automotive Technology Institute, presenting on how physical AI is reshaping industrial structures, and Lee Jae-hyun, head of the AIX strategy office at KAIST, introducing practical applications of generative AI in the workplace.

The ministry said it plans to use the training to deepen senior officials' understanding of manufacturing AX, incorporate on-the-ground changes into policy and push forward its M.AX initiative with greater speed.

"M.AX is about simultaneously transforming how companies produce on the factory floor and how the government drives policy," Trade Minister Kim Jung-kwan said. "Senior officials must first understand AX trends and lead the transformation of their organizations and policies — only then can we deliver results that workers on the ground can actually feel, and deliver them quickly."


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