[PLENARY SESSION 1]

Korea’s Last Opportunity - Physical AI
- Charting the Path to a Global AI Powerhouse together with K.E.Y. PLATFORM

One year into the second term of President Donald Trump, uncertainty in the global political and economic landscape has intensified. The United States continues to pursue protective trade policies under the banner of “America First,” while its ambitions regarding Greenland are straining relations with traditional allies in Europe. As the international order that has stood for more than eight decades since World War II undergoes a fundamental shift, nations worldwide are now compelled to develop new survival strategies.

With global uncertainty now a constant, the Republic of Korea must move beyond passive responses to external change. The time has come to proactively redefine its strategic positioning.

Against this backdrop, technology and innovation have emerged as key drivers of volatility. Artificial Intelligence is rapidly expanding beyond the digital realm into the physical world. Moreover, the advent of technologies capable of perceiving, reasoning, and acting in real-world environments is poised to fundamentally reshape industrial structures, production methods, and social systems. At the same time, the race for AI leadership is evolving beyond technological development into a full-scale competition spanning industrial ecosystems, supply chains, standards, and regulatory frameworks.

Major economies competing for global technological leadership are leveraging their respective strengths to secure leadership across the AI value chain, resulting in a clearer polarization of national roles and positions. The core competitive question is no longer whether a country possesses AI technology, but who can establish an irreplaceable position and in which domain.

Amid these shifts, Korea is well positioned to build unique and sustainable competitiveness. Its long-standing industrial heritage and robust technological ecosystem provide a strong foundation for creating new opportunities at the intersection of AI and the physical world. Korea also holds the potential to demonstrate differentiated strengths in the application and deployment of AI.

The K.E.Y. PLATFORM 2026 Plenary Session will offer a holistic overview of the rapidly changing global political and economic landscape and the ongoing technological paradigm shift. Participants will examine the world order shaped by the second Trump administration and the socio-industrial transformations driven by the rise of Physical AI, while exploring the strategic direction and roles Korea must adopt. In an era where uncertainty has become the new normal, this session will serve as a forum for delivering the insights and answers necessary to transform crises into opportunities.

[PLENARY SESSION 2]

Global Bio Market Upheaval: A New Window of Opportunity
- The World at a Turning Point - Charting a Roadmap for Korea’s Biotech Industry

The year 2026 marks a turning point for the global biotech industry, driven by the rapid advancement of AI. Eli Lilly - the world’s first pharmaceutical company to hit a $1 trillion market capitalization - announced the establishment of an AI co-innovation lab with NVIDIA. This move signals the full-scale dawn of an AI-powered drug discovery era. Industry leaders such as Pfizer, Novartis, and Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) are also placing AI at the forefront of their strategies. Furthermore, the rise of Physical AI presents significant opportunities for biosimilar manufacturers, enabling the production of high-quality medicines at substantially lower costs.

At the same time, geopolitical tensions surrounding the biotech industry are reshaping the global landscape. China has emerged as a critical supplier in global technology licensing and export agreements, securing world-class technological capabilities in next-generation modalities such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and bispecific antibodies. In response, the U.S. is seeking to reduce its reliance on China within its supply chains through measures such as the BIOSECURE Act. This realignment process is expected to enable companies from trusted partner countries, including Korea, to secure significant spillover benefits.

As the global biotech industry undergoes a tectonic shift, a massive window of opportunity has opened for Korea to move beyond its latecomer status. In an era of rapid global population aging, the bio-industry is poised to generate tremendous value for national economies.

We cordially invite you to join us at the K.E.Y. PLATFORM 2026 Plenary Session 2 to explore the strategic path forward for the Korean bio-industry.

[SPECIAL SESSION 1]

Special Session on Science and Technology with KISTEP and KISTI
- Architecting National Competitiveness in the Age of AI

AI has moved beyond the boundaries of technological innovation to become central to national competitiveness and science and technology strategies. As AI deeply permeates research and development, industry, and policy, the ability to architect and apply this technology has emerged as a key determinant of a nation’s future. Amidst the intensifying global race for technological leadership, AI-driven scientific and technological innovation capabilities are becoming more critical than ever.

At the forefront of this transformation are Korea’s government-funded research institutions, which play a central role in advancing the nation’s AI ecosystem and research innovation. The Korea Institute of S&T Planning and Evaluation (KISTEP) oversees the planning and evaluation of national science and technology policies and R&D strategies, leading the development of R&D frameworks aligned with the AI era. The Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) strengthens the foundation of national research competitiveness by supporting AI research and application through advanced high-performance computing and data infrastructure.

In collaboration with KISTEP and KISTI, the K.E.Y. PLATFORM 2026 Science and Technology Special Session will provide an overview of AI-centered national science and technology innovation strategies. This session will explore how AI can connect and expand R&D, policy, and industry, while facilitating in-depth discussions on the strategic directions Korea should pursue amid fierce global competition.

You are cordially invited to join us at the K.E.Y. PLATFORM 2026 Science and Technology Special Session to explore the front lines of science and technology strategies shaping national competitiveness in the age of AI.

[SPECIAL SESSION 2]

Global AI Power Competition and Nordic Strategic Choices
- Safeguarding Technological Leadership in the Age of Physical AI

AI has emerged not only as a critical tool for industrial innovation but also as a defining factor in economic sovereignty and national competitiveness.

The race for AI supremacy, led primarily by the U.S. and China, has escalated into an all-out competition encompassing technology, industry, supply chains, regulations, and standards. To avoid dependency on these superpowers or the loss of strategic initiative, nations worldwide are urgently seeking their own strategies and solutions. This is not a challenge unique to Korea.

Northern Europe, home to some of the world’s most innovative countries, is also carving out its own strategic path in the AI era. Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway are building new growth models by applying AI to the physical world, based on their technological innovation, industrial competitiveness, and high levels of social trust. These countries view AI not merely as a digital technology but as a force that can reshape industry and society in tangible ways.

In collaboration with the Nordic Forum, featuring the four Nordic nations, the K.E.Y. PLATFORM 2026 Special Sessions will serve as a platform for sharing national strategies and experiences in response to the AI era. Focusing on Physical AI, we will examine how AI is being deployed across industries and society and explore the strategic choices that these countries are making to maintain their competitive edges amid global power competition.

We will also identify opportunities for cooperation across the AI value chain and ecosystem by analyzing the approaches taken by the Nordic countries, which face challenges similar to those of Korea. The Nordic experience - where technology, industry, policy, and society are closely integrated - will offer critical insights for Korea as it seeks to chart its own strategic course in the age of AI.

[SPECIAL SESSION 3]

Japan’s Multi-Faceted Reality and the Strategic Reframing of Korea-Japan Relations
- A Fundamental Shift in Perspective in an Era of Survival Alliances

In 2026, the international order has become more ruthless than ever. U.S. President Donald Trump continues to shake up established diplomatic norms, driving Korea and Japan - America’s long-standing allies - into heightened uncertainty. As Korea and Japan face shared diplomatic, security, and economic pressures, their relationship is evolving beyond bilateral diplomatic issues into a matter of survival and strategic design. The two countries have now become mutually dependent middle-power partners that should respond jointly and wisely to U.S. pressures. For Korea and Japan, alliance is no longer an option, but a pragmatic imperative.

Building on its New Year feature series, “Korea-Japan: A Strategic Alliance for Survival,” MoneyToday continues to seek solutions for this critical challenge at the Global Conference, K.E.Y. PLATFORM 2026. For Korea, the starting point for making a Korea-Japan survival alliance viable is a proper understanding of Japan. Any attempt at cooperation without a grasp of the many facets of Japan - its actual inner workings and value structure - is bound to remain hollow. A fundamental strategic framework cannot be built on stereotypes or surface-level perceptions alone.

To foster a genuine understanding of Japan, K.E.Y. PLATFORM 2026 has invited a distinguished panel of professors specializing in politics, sociology, and institutional studies, along with veteran journalists. They are prominent Japanese experts known for their in-depth research on Korean society and bilateral relations. Accordingly, they are capable of explaining the internal logic of Japan based on their deep knowledge and full understanding of the Korean context - in other words, they provide Japanese voices able to directly answer Korea’s questions.

This session will provide a continuous context covering key areas: ▲the reality of Japanese politics, ▲changing values in Japanese society, ▲how Korea is represented and consumed in Japanese media, ▲Japanese perceptions of modern and contemporary history, and ▲the strategic design of Korea-Japan cooperation in response to the emerging global order. This will be more than just an academic exercise; it will serve as a forum for strategic thinking that can help Korea prepare for its next set of choices.

[SPECIAL SESSION 4]

The Trillion-Dollar Space Economy: From Vision to Growth Engine
- K-Space Startups on the Way to Becoming Unicorns

The space industry is no longer a distant dream of the future; it is becoming a tangible engine for economic growth. While the space race of the past between the U.S. and the Soviet Union focused on exploration - who could send humans to space or reach the Moon first - the space frontier today is evolving into an industry that reshapes how humanity lives across communications, national security, AI, and beyond.

The global space market is projected to grow to USD 1 trillion by 2040. Technological breakthroughs in reusable launch vehicles and small satellites have accelerated a paradigm shift in space development - from government-led initiatives to a private-sector-driven ecosystem.

This shift is also gaining momentum in Korea. For the first time, the annual budget of the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) has exceeded KRW 1 trillion, underscoring the government’s commitment to nurturing the space industry as a future growth engine comparable to semiconductors and smartphones. Through next-generation launch vehicle development and the expansion of national satellite programs, this year is expected to lay the critical groundwork for the Korean space era.

At the industry level, innovative Korean companies armed with homegrown technologies are striving to expand their global footprint. Promising startups are helping to usher in the K-Space era, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to precisely predict collision risks between space objects, manufacture pharmaceuticals in orbit, and safely manage end-of-life satellites.

K.E.Y. PLATFORM 2026 has organized a special session to assess where Korea’s space industry stands and what it takes to scale globally.

Space is a domain that can be advanced only when patient capital, sophisticated policy, and private-sector entrepreneurship work in harmony. We invite you to join leading experts in exploring actionable strategies to become a key player in the future market.