- Registration date2026-09-23
Minister JK Kim of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) attended the Manufacturing AI Transformation (M.AX) CEO Hackathon in Sejong on September 21, 2026. Around 100 participants attended, including CEOs of manufacturers in regional industrial complexes and representatives from AI companies and related organizations. The event was designed for CEOs to identify which problems in their factories should be addressed first with AI and work with AI companies and experts to develop practical AX projects.
Ahead of the hackathon, Minister Kim delivered a keynote address on the role of CEOs in the AI era. The 10 teams, comprising manufacturing companies serving as mentors and mentees and AI companies, presented solutions for using AI to address company-specific problems. Five teams received awards from the Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources: one top prize, two Excellence Awards and two Encouragement Awards.
Minister Kim stressed that AI transformation goes beyond adopting technology and requires companies to redesign how they work. He also emphasized that CEOs need to take the lead in setting company-wide priorities and turning AI into action.