Kim Jung-kwan, South Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, attended the ‘2026 G20 Innovation Ministers’ Meeting’ held in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in the United States on the 2nd (local time) as the head of the Korean delegation, where he discussed multilateral cooperation to advance artificial intelligence (AI) innovation. At the meeting, Korea presented three pillars for translating AI innovation into real industrial competitiveness: the intellectual property system, standards, and resilient supply chains.
 [코리안투데이] G20 회원국들 모여 AI 혁신을 위한 다자간 협력방안 논의 © 장형임 기자 |
The Innovation Ministers’ Meeting, hosted by the United States as this year’s G20 chair, brought together ministers responsible for industry and innovation from G20 member states, who exchanged views centered on intellectual property policy for AI, AI for standards and standards for AI, and industrial innovation and supply chain investment.
In the morning session, ‘Intellectual Property Policy for Artificial Intelligence (AI),’ participants addressed the balance between AI innovation and the protection of intellectual property rights, as well as the direction in which the patent and copyright systems should evolve as the use of AI expands. Minister Kim emphasized that, as AI is rapidly changing the ways in which research and development, creation, and innovation take place, the system should evolve so that intellectual property rights and AI innovation mutually reinforce one another.
 [코리안투데이] G20 회원국들 모여 AI 혁신을 위한 다자간 협력방안 논의 © 장형임 기자 |
On patents, he stated that as expanding AI use broadens opportunities for participation in innovation, a trustworthy patent system must underpin this. On copyright, he shared Korea’s experience operating its fair-use principle and its guidelines related to AI training, noting that it is important to create a predictable environment for AI innovation while respecting the legitimate rights of creators. Korea’s fair-use principle determines whether a use is fair on a case-by-case basis, based on four factors: the purpose and character of the use; the type and purpose of the work; the proportion and significance of the portion used; and the effect on the market and value of the work.
 [코리안투데이] G20 회원국들 모여 AI 혁신을 위한 다자간 협력방안 논의 © 장형임 기자 |
The afternoon session took up standards for the industrial use of AI and the resilience and diversification of supply chains. On AI standards, Minister Kim stressed the importance of developing standards that reflect the needs and practical experience of industrial sites, and explained Korea’s experience in supporting the identification and development of relevant AI standards based on industry participation in key sectors such as autonomous manufacturing, AI-powered future mobility, and robotics. He also emphasized that, as AI technologies and services spread across borders, international cooperation is important to enhance interoperability and reliability between technologies and systems, and pledged that Korea would continue to contribute to establishing international standards that support AI innovation and its global market expansion, drawing on its experience of actively participating in international AI standards discussions such as those at ISO and IEC.
On supply chains, it was highlighted that AI and manufacturing innovation can contribute to strengthening supply chain resilience amid the deepening complexity of global supply chains. Minister Kim introduced Korea’s manufacturing AI transformation (M.AX) initiative, explaining that by spreading AI across major manufacturing industries and applying it to production planning, demand forecasting, and supply chain management, companies can enhance their ability to respond to change and improve the efficiency and flexibility of supply chains. He also stressed that such efforts can go beyond improving the productivity of individual companies to enhance the crisis-response capacity of entire global production networks and create new opportunities for cooperation.
 [코리안투데이] G20 회원국들 모여 AI 혁신을 위한 다자간 협력방안 논의 © 장형임 기자 |
He further noted that, to strengthen supply chain resilience, it is important to diversify sources of supply while connecting the industrial strengths of each country and expanding trust-based partnerships in the fields of key resources, materials, and components. He proposed that the G20 should play an important role in building open and mutually complementary global supply chains based on the industrial capabilities of each country.
Minister Kim said, ‘For AI innovation to translate into real industrial competitiveness, not only the advancement of the technology itself but also the intellectual property system, standards, and resilient supply chains that underpin it must develop together,’ adding, ‘Korea, too, will actively cooperate with G20 member states based on its experience in the field.’
 [코리안투데이] G20 회원국들 모여 AI 혁신을 위한 다자간 협력방안 논의 © 장형임 기자 |
The discussions presented at this meeting reflect a recognition that, at a juncture where AI is transforming the modes of production across industry as well as the structures of creation and innovation, institutions and norms and supply chain stability determine national competitiveness as much as technological development does. The direction of multilateral cooperation spanning intellectual property, standards, and supply chains is expected to also affect the AI-use environment and export conditions for domestic companies going forward.
지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화코리안브랜드대상 신청 최고경영인대상 신청 소비자만족도대상 신청
<저작권자 ⓒ 코리안투데이(The Korean Today) 무단전재 및 재배포 금지>
