The 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, (provided by Gyeongju City Hall) is gearing up for the APEC Digital and AI Ministerial Meeting, resuming for the first time in ten years. Positioned at the forefront of Asia-Pacific digital cooperation, South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT has announced the regular meeting of the APEC Telecommunications and Information Working Group (TELWG) will be held from March 4 to 7 at the HICO Convention Center in Gyeongju. This meeting will see the participation of 21 key APEC member countries, including the United States, Japan, and China, to discuss ways to bridge the digital divide and AI utilization within the region.
Since its inception in 1990, APEC TELWG has been seeking ways for policy sharing and cooperation in the field of information and communications technology. The theme of this meeting is ‘Connecting, Innovating, and Prospering for a Sustainable Tomorrow,’ focusing on issues like △promoting digital innovation, △strengthening AI-based inclusivity, and △building a secure digital ecosystem.
The Ministry of Science and ICT will showcase South Korea’s digital policies such as the operation of the National AI Committee and AI legislation, while introducing achievements from last year’s AI summit held in Seoul to propose cooperation models at the APEC level. Particularly, through Korea’s cases like broadband infrastructure construction in isolated areas and digital inclusion policies for the elderly, the ministry plans to encourage member countries’ participation.
The meeting will also feature workshops involving notable domestic and international digital companies like Naver, Kakao, Google, and Amazon. The focus will be on ‘Solving Socioeconomic Challenges with Digital Technology’ and ‘Enhancing Social Resilience Using Digital Technology,’ sharing policy and technology cases and discussing cooperation strategies between the government and private sectors. The Ministry of Science and ICT aims to present exemplary domestic cases, including the enhancement project of navigation systems for disaster response.
Furthermore, the upcoming APEC Digital and AI Ministerial Meeting in August will be the first official minister-level meeting of its kind in a decade since 2015. It is expected to serve as a critical juncture for discussing joint response strategies among member countries in the field of information and communications. The current regular meeting is seen as a foundation for preparing the ministerial meeting.
Through the ministerial meeting, the Ministry of Science and ICT plans to establish a ‘Digital Week’ featuring global forums and corporate exhibitions with participation from both the public and private sectors, aiming to strengthen cooperation with APEC member countries. Korea aspires to draw international consensus based on its policy experiences and industrial capabilities in the digital and AI sectors.
Hwang Sung-hoon, the Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, “This meeting will be an opportunity to share policies among member countries in response to the rapidly changing digital environment and discuss regional cooperation directions.” He continued, “We will continue discussions to ensure the successful hosting of the Digital and AI Ministerial Meeting in August.”
Experts indicate that South Korea should present agendas through this APEC meeting that enhance public welfare, such as bridging the digital divide and improving disaster response. As a leading nation, there is a need to go beyond simply sharing technology to actively establishing frameworks for international cooperation in infrastructure, institutions, and norms.
The outcome of this meeting, which is expected to be a watershed moment for digital cooperation among APEC member countries, is closely watched to see if it will lead to substantive results beyond mere formal slogans.