Kim Jung-kwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, attended the 2026 G20 Innovation Ministers Meeting held in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in the United States on September 2 (local time) as the head of the Korean delegation, where he discussed multilateral approaches to cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI) innovation. At the meeting, Minister Kim presented the intellectual property regime, standards, and resilient supply chains as three pillars for the AI era, sharing Korea’s policy experience.
 [코리안투데이] G20 회원국들 모여 AI 혁신을 위한 다자간 협력방안 논의 © 장형임 기자 |
Hosted by the United States, this year’s G20 chair, the meeting brought together ministers responsible for industry and innovation from G20 member states for discussions centered on three themes: ① intellectual property policy for AI, ② AI for standards and standards for AI, and ③ industrial innovation and supply chain investment. As AI technology rapidly reshapes the landscape across industries, the gathering was significant in that each country jointly sought institutional responses and frameworks for cooperation.
The morning session, ‘Intellectual Property Policy for AI,’ addressed the balance between AI innovation and the protection of intellectual property rights, as well as the direction in which patent and copyright systems should evolve amid the expanding use of AI. Minister Kim stressed that, as AI is rapidly transforming the ways research and development, creative work, and innovation are carried out, these systems should develop so that intellectual property rights and AI innovation reinforce one another.
 [코리안투데이] G20 회원국들 모여 AI 혁신을 위한 다자간 협력방안 논의 © 장형임 기자 |
On patents, Minister Kim noted that, with the broader use of AI widening opportunities to take part in innovation, a trustworthy patent system should underpin this shift. In the area of copyright, he introduced Korea’s Fair Use principle — under which fair use is assessed case by case against four factors: the purpose and character of the use, the type and nature of the work, the amount and importance of the portion used, and the effect on the market and value — along with the country’s experience operating guidelines related to AI training. He added that it is important to respect the legitimate rights of creators while at the same time fostering a predictable environment for AI innovation.
 [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 establishing standards that reflect industry demand and hands-on experience, and explained Korea’s experience in identifying and developing AI standards in key industrial fields such as autonomous manufacturing, AI-powered future mobility, and robotics, based on industry participation. He also said that, as AI technologies and services spread across borders, international cooperation is needed to enhance interoperability and reliability between technologies and systems, and pledged to continue contributing to the development of international standards, drawing on Korea’s experience of active engagement in AI standards discussions at bodies such as ISO and IEC.
 [코리안투데이] G20 회원국들 모여 AI 혁신을 위한 다자간 협력방안 논의 © 장형임 기자 |
On supply chains, Minister Kim pointed out that, amid deepening complexity in global supply chains, AI and manufacturing innovation can help strengthen supply chain resilience. Sharing the example of Korea’s Manufacturing AI Transformation (M.AX) initiative, he explained that spreading AI across major manufacturing sectors and applying it to production planning, demand forecasting, and supply chain management can enhance companies’ ability to respond to change as well as the efficiency and flexibility of supply chains. He further anticipated that such efforts could go beyond boosting the productivity of individual companies to improve the crisis-response capacity of entire global production networks and create new opportunities for cooperation.
Minister Kim stressed that, to strengthen supply chain resilience, countries should diversify their sources of supply while connecting their respective industrial strengths, and expand trust-based partnerships in the fields of critical resources, materials, and components. He also proposed that the G20 play an important role in building an open and mutually complementary global supply chain that draws on each country’s industrial capabilities.
 [코리안투데이] G20 회원국들 모여 AI 혁신을 위한 다자간 협력방안 논의 © 장형임 기자 |
Minister Kim said, ‘For AI innovation to translate into genuine industrial competitiveness, not only technology itself but also the intellectual property regime, standards, and resilient supply chains that support it must advance together,’ adding, ‘Korea, too, will actively cooperate with G20 member states based on its experience on the industrial front line.’
지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화코리안브랜드대상 신청 최고경영인대상 신청 소비자만족도대상 신청
<저작권자 ⓒ 코리안투데이(The Korean Today) 무단전재 및 재배포 금지>
