APEC biz leaders gather in S Korea to discuss AI, energy transition

Preliminary proceedings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit were well under way on Tuesday in the South Korean host city of Gyeongju, bringing together some 1,700 participants from around the globe for deep-dive conversations on implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and energy transition, among others.

On Tuesday, the eve of the official opening of the business gathering, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) hosted a welcome reception for participating global business tycoons attending the event, where they will exchange views on pending global issues, such as AI, digital currency, carbon neutrality and supply chains, reports Yonhap news agency.

Key attendees at this year's APEC CEO Summit include AI chip giant Nvidia Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang, Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman, Google's Chief Marketing Officer for Asia Pacific Simon Kahn, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser and Johnson & Johnson CEO Joaquin Duato.

From Korea, Chey Tae-won, SK Group chief and the KCCI chair, Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo are on the list. Tuesday evening's welcome reception was attended by Samsung Electronics President Park Seung-hee, SK On Co. Vice Chairman Yu Jeong-joon, Hyundai Motor Co. President Sung Kim, Naver Corp. CEO Choi Soo-yeon and Simon Kahn, chief marketing officer of Google's Asia-Pacific headquarters, among others.

Public sector representatives also attended the reception, including South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo, US Ambassador to China David Perdue and Malaysian Ambassador to Korea Dato' Mohd Zamruni Khalid.

The Future Tech Forum, an official sideline event of the CEO summit, also took place on Tuesday, featuring an AI-themed forum by SK Group and a forum on the retail economy, along with another sideline event, K-Tech Showcase, which showcased AI, mobility, robotics and display technologies of Korean firms.