GOYANG — Goyang, a city in Gyeonggi Province, is moving early to position itself for the government's planned competition to host a "Global AI Hub," marshaling its experience in attracting international organizations along with its existing infrastructure.
The city said on the 20th that it held the 7th Goyang Innovation Strategy Seminar at the Seongsa Creative Innovation Campus under the theme "Strategy for Bringing the Global AI Hub to Goyang." The event, co-hosted and organized by the Goyang Research Institute and the Goyang Chamber of Commerce and Industry, drew about 50 participants, including Goyang Mayor Min Kyung-sun, Goyang Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Lee Sang-heon, acting Goyang Research Institute head Kim Nam-jun, as well as local business leaders and experts.
The Global AI Hub is envisioned as a base where international organizations, national governments, industry and academia work together to set safety and ethical standards for artificial intelligence and address shared challenges facing humanity. With the government set to launch a call for candidate sites among metropolitan-level local governments later this month, Goyang used the seminar to build its case in advance.
"With problems such as AI agents slipping out of control coming to the fore recently, there is an urgent need for global ethical guidelines," Mayor Min said. "Goyang is a prepared city with optimal accessibility, international conference infrastructure and a solid industrial base in areas such as bio and aviation, and it is a place where citywide resolve has come together through efforts including a residents' signature campaign."
Chung Tae-yong, a professor at Yonsei University's Graduate School of International Studies who delivered the keynote presentation, proposed a practical framework for the bid, drawing on his experience leading the effort to bring the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to Songdo in Incheon and to establish the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). "Competition among local governments is fierce, so the city must prove it has the living conditions and capacity to keep growing for more than a decade after the launch, not just win the bid in the short term," Chung said. "The central government, Gyeonggi Province, local authorities and international partners need to bind together as a strong 'one team' to have a chance."
The discussion that followed was chaired by Hong Jin-wook, former ambassador to Singapore, and brought together figures from the Embassy of Luxembourg, the Hanns Seidel Foundation, the ICLEI Korea Office, KINTEX, Dongguk University's BMC, the National Cancer Center and Korea Aerospace University. Participants focused on a differentiation strategy linking KINTEX's MICE infrastructure with the region's advanced medical and bio ecosystem.
"We will refine our strategy based on the insights offered by the experts, prove that Goyang is a forward base for global AI safety and innovation, and make sure this bears fruit," Min said.