South Korea Backs Global AI Access Plan With Multilateral Development Hub
Seoul plans to work with six multilateral development banks on an AI cooperation hub aimed at helping developing countries gain broader access to artificial intelligence capabilities and benefits.
South Korea will work with major development lenders to broaden access to artificial intelligence, setting out plans for a cooperation hub intended to support developing countries through the global technology transition.
Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-il presented the initiative Tuesday at the Global AI and Digital Summit in Seoul. The three-day gathering, co-hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the World Bank, has drawn about 900 government and private-sector participants from roughly 160 countries. The Finance Ministry described it as the largest edition since the World Bank began holding the annual event in 2024.
Lee said Korea wants to help create a global “AI basic society,” a model in which countries and individuals are not excluded from the benefits of artificial intelligence. He linked that goal to Korea’s own transformation from an aid recipient into a technology-driven economy, saying the country now seeks to serve as a partner for developing nations pursuing their own digital transitions.
The government is working with six multilateral development banks, including the World Bank, to establish an AI hub in South Korea. The planned hub would bring together the lenders’ AI cooperation centers, creating a shared base for programs designed to spread technological capabilities and development experience. Details on its launch schedule, financing and specific projects were not announced.
The initiative places international development at the center of Seoul’s AI agenda. Rather than focusing only on competition in advanced chips, models or data centers, the proposal emphasizes access and the capacity of lower-income countries to use new technologies in economic and public-service development.
Lee also met World Bank President Ajay Banga in Seoul on Monday. Their talks covered ways for South Korea to share its AI expertise and experience with developing economies. They also discussed the potential use of Korean nuclear-energy technology to provide stable electricity and support sustainable growth.
According to the Finance Ministry, Lee and Banga stressed that industrial development should produce more jobs and opportunities for young people. They also called for continued work toward development that is both inclusive and sustainable.
The Seoul summit gives South Korea a venue to connect its domestic AI ambitions with international development institutions. The proposed hub’s impact will depend on how the participating banks translate the broad commitment into funded projects, technical assistance and practical access for the countries the initiative is intended to serve.