Industry ministry convenes veteran engineers to chart AI-era strategy

The industry ministry said Thursday it had invited veteran engineers who built South Korea's semiconductor, display, automotive and shipbuilding industries to a luncheon in Seoul, where it sought their counsel on steering the economy through the AI era.

The meeting at the Korea Press Center preceded the first Engineers' Day ceremony at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said.

Among those attending were Jin Dae-je, a former Samsung Electronics president who led the development of the world's first 64-megabit, 256-megabit and 1-gigabit DRAM chips, and Park Sung-wook, a former SK hynix vice chairman who drove the development of high-bandwidth memory.

Kwon Oh-kyung, a distinguished professor at Hanyang University who contributed to the development and commercialization of core AMOLED display technology, also took part, along with Yang Woong-chul, a former Hyundai Motor vice chairman, and Cho Seong-hwan, a former Hyundai Mobis chief executive.

Others included Lee Choong-dong, a former central research director at Hyundai Heavy Industries; Cho Hyung-hee, an emeritus professor at Yonsei University who developed core cooling technology for gas turbines; Shin Kyung-chul, honorary chairman of Yujin Robot; Min Dong-jun, an emeritus professor at Yonsei who developed the theory behind commercialized FINEX steelmaking; and Lee Byung-gun, a former Chong Kun Dang Holdings vice chairman who led work on osteoarthritis and hemophilia treatments.

"South Korea's rise as a technology powerhouse is owed to the persistence and dedication of engineers who pushed past the limits of technology despite countless failures and challenges," Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said.

Kim asked the engineers, who pioneered the industrialization era, for advice on the direction of future industry, pointing to the AI revolution and the global race for technological supremacy as new challenges.

Over lunch, participants discussed how industry should move forward in the AI age, the role engineers should play in accelerating industrial innovation, and ways to create an environment where they can concentrate on research and development.

Kim stressed that national capabilities must be pooled for the success of a 1,600 trillion won mega project and M.AX, the government's push to convert manufacturing to AI. He also urged the engineering community to contribute ideas and support during policy design and implementation.

The government will press ahead with policies to strengthen social respect for engineers and build an innovative research environment, the ministry said, adding that it will work with organizations including the National Academy of Engineering of Korea and the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology on programs to support young engineers.

A series of events will run through the end of the year to raise the standing of engineers, including the Dream Industrial Technology Academy in Daejeon on Nov. 2, a conference for women engineers in Seoul on Nov. 6 and the Korea Tech Festival in Seoul on Dec. 9.