Seoul Business Agency (SBA) Hosts Seoul Innovation Forum at CES 2024

Seoul Business Agency organized the Seoul Innovation Forum at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, where panel discussions and panel talks by Korean tech leaders took place.

SEOUL, South Korea, Jan. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Seoul Business Agency (SBA), Seoul’s innovation support organization working towards creating a smart city in Seoul, held the Seoul Innovation Forum at CES 2024 in Las Vegas on January 9th (local time). CES 2024 is the world’s largest IT exhibition in Las Vegas, showcasing innovative technologies from global companies like Samsung, LG, and Google and startups from various countries.

To leverage this global exhibition for the worldwide expansion of Seoul and Seoul-based companies, the city of Seoul and SBA established the CES Seoul Pavilion within CES Eureka Park, consolidating Seoul’s leading startup ecosystem. They also organized additional events for technological exchange, including the Seoul Innovation Forum.

The Seoul Innovation Forum saw the participation of around 200 individuals from domestic major corporations, mid-sized enterprises, startup support organizations, and unicorn companies. Representatives from leading Korean companies like Samsung, LG, and SK, exhibiting at CES 2024, shared insights into current technological trends. Representatives from Seoul-based major universities (8 institutions) and startup support organizations (4 organizations) who collaborated at CES 2024 Seoul Pavilion also brightened the forum.

The forum included discussions on CES 2024 technology trends centered around artificial intelligence (AI) and panel discussions on successful strategies for Korean companies to enter the U.S. market. It provided a networking opportunity for participants to share technological insights freely.

The opening keynote speech was delivered by NCsoft’s CEO, Yoon Song-yi, emphasizing the advancement of AI technologies beyond Generative AI starting in 2023 and highlighting the role of AI-native companies in Korea’s future.

The second session featured a panel talk with the CEOs of Noom (CEO Jung Se-joo) and FiscalNote (CEO Tim Hwang), both Korean unicorn companies with headquarters in the U.S. They shared their respective strategies for success as Korean companies in the U.S. market.

CEO Jung Se-joo of Noom highlighted the significant progress in the healthcare and AI industries at this year’s CES. CEO Tim Hwang of FiscalNote also focused on developing generative AI industries and introduced industry trends involving active collaborations between open AI and startups. Various topics were covered during the forum, including a lecture by neuroscientist Professor Jang Dong-sun on human security, an issue prompted by the development of generative AI.

During the forum, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced the plan to host ‘Seoul Smart Life Week’ (tentative name) in October 2024, aiming for a global exhibition format where technology companies related to smart life, including those from CES 2024 and international cities, including Seoul, gather to discuss technological advancements and showcase innovative products.

Mayor Oh expressed pride in Seoul’s innovative ecosystem, stating, “The innovation ecosystem of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is sufficient to feel proud.” He emphasized the vision of making Seoul Smart Life Week a global event like CES and invited the participation of forum attendees to realize this dream.