Hansae Corporation Vice Chairman Kim Ikhwan: "AI Is a Growth Engine, Not Just a Cost-Cutting Tool...K-Brand Competitiveness Must Be Enhanced"

Attending the Korea Times Forum:
Proposing Sustainable Growth Strategies for K-Beauty and K-Content

"AI Must Be Integrated with Manufacturing, Semiconductors, and Digital Infrastructure"
Introducing Hansae Corporation's AI Design Case Studies

Kim Ikhwan, Vice Chairman of Hansae Corporation, a global fashion OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), presented strengthening technological competitiveness and expanding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as sustainable growth strategies for K-brands in the AI era.

Hansae Corporation announced on the 11th that Vice Chairman Kim attended the "2026 Korea Times Forum" held on the 9th at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where he participated in the "AI, K-Beauty, and K-Content: Korea's Future Strategic Industries" session and exchanged views with industry leaders.

On the 9th, Kim Ikhwan, Vice Chairman of Hansae Co., Ltd., speaking at the '2026 Korea Times Forum' held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Hansae Co., Ltd.

Vice Chairman Kim emphasized that K-brands need distinctive competitiveness to become established in the global market, beyond being a temporary trend. He said, "The rational pricing and freshness that once served as Korea's weapons are now being chased by China and others. Therefore, K-beauty must maintain premium quality and a significant technological edge, while K-content should accumulate assets through long-term intellectual property and the discovery of untapped genres."

He also called for a shift in how companies perceive AI. Vice Chairman Kim highlighted, "Global leading companies are already utilizing AI not as a tool to reduce personnel or costs, but as a growth engine for creating new value. We must consider how to combine AI with our established strengths in manufacturing, semiconductors, and digital infrastructure to create something new."

He introduced Hansae Corporation's practical use cases of AI as well. "Our AI design team leverages generative AI to produce images at a photoshoot level, which are provided to our clients," he explained. "This not only shortens work hours and reduces sample production costs and material waste, but also receives positive feedback from our customers."

Currently, Hansae Corporation is accelerating digital transformation and enhancing order competitiveness by applying generative AI throughout the entire apparel planning and design process.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.