KSP performance-sharing conference held in Seoul; Kenya, Uzbekistan share digital transformation cases; 74 consultations held with delegations from 15 countries
The government has laid out four policy priorities to channel the spread of AI into shared global growth, covering data center and power infrastructure, internet connectivity, talent development and international cooperation.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance held its 2026 Knowledge Sharing Program (KSP) performance-sharing conference Monday at the Grand Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul, under the theme "AI and Digital Transformation through Knowledge Sharing for Inclusive Growth."
The KSP is a program through which South Korea shares its economic and social development experience and expertise with partner countries to support their policymaking and institutional reform. The ministry has held the annual performance-sharing conference since 2007 to review key KSP outcomes and chart the program's future direction.
This year's event focused on how to translate the benefits of technological advancement into sustainable and inclusive growth at a time when AI and digital technologies are rapidly reshaping industrial structures and the economic order.
In his opening remarks, Moon Ji-seong, the ministry's director general for international economic affairs, said AI and digital transformation are core growth drivers propelling productivity gains and the creation of new industries and jobs. However, he said varying levels of national readiness and technological capacity could give rise to new digital divides, making innovation in policy and institutions — alongside international cooperation — as essential as technological innovation itself.
The ministry identified four cooperation priorities under the banner of "AI for All": building an innovation ecosystem encompassing AI data centers, power grids, internet infrastructure and legal and regulatory frameworks; transforming the industrial base across sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and healthcare while advancing a green energy transition; developing skilled professionals capable of applying AI in industrial and public settings; and strengthening international cooperation to address the cross-border nature of AI.
The first session featured cases in which KSP policy advisory work in the AI and digital fields led to concrete institutional reforms and follow-on projects. Kenya shared its experience with the Konza Technopolis smart city initiative, which linked the KSP with the Economic Innovation Partnership Program and the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF).
Uzbekistan presented its experience institutionalizing a regulatory sandbox for digital financial innovation and fintech industry development through the KSP Plus program. Unlike the standard KSP, which typically runs on a one-year cycle, KSP Plus provides in-depth policy advisory services over two to three years.
The second session examined ways to scale up KSP policy advisory outcomes into follow-on projects. Cases discussed included building ICT infrastructure to digitize tax administration in Liberia, upgrading digital infrastructure for public service innovation in the Dominican Republic, and advancing smart city development in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
In his closing remarks, Kim Jeong-wook, director of the Korea Development Institute (KDI) International Development Cooperation Center, said the KSP delivers its greatest value when technological innovation goes hand in hand with institutional reform and when policy advice translates into real implementation.
KDI plans to restructure how the program operates based on a three-year medium-term KSP operational plan it first drew up in June. The revamp will introduce "strategic planning projects" that combine partner countries' development strategies with South Korea's strengths, organized around four priority areas — AI and digital, supply chains, green transition and culture. KSP policy advisory work will also be linked to follow-on projects including EDCF financing, multilateral development bank initiatives and private investment.
That afternoon, a business consultation session titled "Embassy-Business Matchmaking" was held as a side event to the conference. Twenty-eight representatives from embassies of 15 countries in Seoul and 65 domestic companies participating in the KSP private-sector proposal scheme took part, conducting a total of 74 one-on-one consultations.
Participants discussed ways to connect business ideas identified by South Korean companies with policy needs in partner countries, with a view to developing them into additional KSP projects or follow-on initiatives such as EDCF financing.
On Wednesday, the ministry plans to hold a KSP Africa regional seminar on "Industrial Structural Transformation and Sustainable Development in Africa through Knowledge Sharing," in conjunction with the eighth Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) ministerial meeting.
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