Amid the increasing importance of technological cooperation in responding to the climate crisis, an international forum was held in Seoul to discuss practical climate response measures utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) organized the “2025 KOICA Climate AI Forum” on November 24th at The Plaza Seoul Grand Ballroom as the first official event of the “2025 Development Cooperation Week” running from November 24th to 29th.
This forum was prepared to share the first-year results of the “AI for Climate Action” project carried out by KOICA and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and to discuss sustainable climate response directions utilizing AI. Last November, KOICA signed an agreement with the UNFCCC at the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) and continues to collaborate as an official partner from 2025 to 2027.
More than 200 AI and climate experts from home and abroad attended the forum, including Jang Won-sam, President of KOICA, and Kim Sang-hyup, Secretary-General of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).
In his opening remarks, President Jang said, “South Korea has been presenting the vision of ‘AI for All’ on various international stages, emphasizing that technological advancement should contribute to the common prosperity of humanity, and KOICA is focusing on expanding AI-based climate solutions and enhancing the AI utilization capabilities of developing countries.”
Secretary-General Kim stated, “As a digital powerhouse, South Korea is leading the agenda for AI-based climate solutions, and AI will be a valuable tool in securing trustworthy data for monitoring and verifying greenhouse gas reductions in the carbon market.”
The first part of the forum presented the key achievements of the “AI for Climate Action” partnership in 2025. Kim Kyung-ah, head of the Climate Environment and Economic Development Team at KOICA, highlighted the AI-based technology competition “AI for Climate Action Awards” and the first Climate AI Forum held in Africa as major outcomes. “Among 634 global submissions, an AI agricultural solution developed by a Korean company won the grand prize, and Korean firms demonstrated their technologies at the African forum,” she explained.
Session 1, titled “The Future of AI Technology for Climate Change Response,” emphasized that AI is being utilized as a key technology for climate response in various fields, including climate prediction, disaster early warning, and energy efficiency optimization.
Professor Kim Hyung-jun from the KAIST Graduate School of Future Strategy explained, “AI plays a crucial role in both climate change adaptation and mitigation, and South Korea should advance as a ‘Green Game Changer’ by leading sustainable development and climate response strategies based on technological competitiveness.”
K-Water AI Research Center Director Kim Sung-hoon noted, “AI’s machine learning and deep learning can be effectively applied to crisis responses in areas such as floods, droughts, and water quality management,” adding, “It is necessary to cooperate and build capacity for developing countries to leverage AI.”
Capture6’s Vice President of Climate Tech startup, Park Hyung-gun, suggested, “It is necessary to manage the carbon footprint generated during the AI model training process,” emphasizing, “Responsible AI development should be pursued through both technical and policy approaches.”
Session 2, titled “K-AI for All: Path to Top 3 Global AI Powerhouses,” discussed synergetic strategies between development cooperation and AI. Citizen Technology Network Executive Director Lee Jae-heung pointed out, “AI could induce social problems within complex value chains, necessitating an institutional safety net.”
KOICA’s AI Transformation Information Team Manager Song Young-jun mentioned, “AI is a crucial tool for addressing multi-faceted problems faced by developing countries,” indicating that “KOICA aims to demonstrate Korean AI models through official development assistance (ODA) and support AI transitions in developing countries, fostering both the growth of the domestic AI ecosystem and enhancing national prestige.”
WI.Plat CEO Cha Sang-hoon stated, “AI-based intelligent leakage management systems can contribute to solving infrastructure maintenance issues in developing countries lacking personnel and resources,” emphasizing, “AI is a crucial technical tool for enhancing the sustainability of existing ODA projects.”
Data Maker CEO Enoch introduced an AI data labeling education case in Ghana, explaining, “The start of the AI ecosystem is high-quality data, and constructing data through the participation of local talents is key.”
Building on this forum, KOICA plans to continuously promote the discovery of AI-based climate solutions, local capacity building, and the expansion of data-driven cooperation platforms. Additionally, through the “K-AI for Climate Action” brand, they intend to strengthen the global cooperation ecosystem in which Korea’s AI technology and ODA contribute together.