KT CEO Yoon Young Park: "18 Trillion Won Investment in 'AX Platform Company'... Entry into Token and Coin Businesses" (Comprehensive)

100 Days in Office: KT CEO Yoon Young Park Holds Press Conference
Announces 'AX Platform Company' Business Strategy
"Virtuous Cycle of Strong Essence and Definite Growth"

KT will invest a total of 12 trillion won over the next three years in the fields of information security, information technology (IT), and networks. Of this amount, 5 trillion won will be allocated to artificial intelligence (AI) data centers (DC), and 1 trillion won to submarine cables, making a total of 6 trillion won for building AX (AI transformation) infrastructure. The company will also accelerate new growth AX businesses such as the 'Token Factory' and 'Stablecoin' projects.

Park Yoonyoung, CEO of KT, is presenting the 'AX Platform Company' business strategy at the Eastpole Pullman Hotel in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul on July 6, 2026. Photo by Yoon Dongju

Park Yoonyoung, CEO of KT, Declares 'AX Platform Company' on 100th Day in Office

On his 100th day as CEO, Park Yoonyoung of KT announced this 'AX Platform Company' business strategy at his first press conference, which was held at the Pullman Ambassador Seoul Eastpole in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul on July 6, 2026. Park stated, "We will build a structure where solid fundamentals and certain growth create a virtuous cycle, with these two pillars as our foundation," adding, "We will play the role of an enabler so that our customers can grow using AI."

KT plans to invest 4 trillion won in information security and IT innovation, which is double the amount spent over the past three years. Park explained, "Under the principle of 'zero trust,' which means never trusting anything and always thoroughly verifying, we are overhauling our entire security system." The four main initiatives are: ensuring stability, integrating governance to establish a rapid and transparent crisis response system, separating the Chief Security Officer (CSO) and Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) positions while fostering the industry's top talent, and facilitating external expert collaboration led by KT.

During the same period, KT will invest 8 trillion won in the network sector to achieve a super-gap advantage. The company aims to enhance customer-perceived quality and fundamental competitiveness, and to secure leadership in key future network technologies such as 6G, satellites, and data center interconnection. In particular, KT has set a goal to lead the domestic satellite ecosystem by leveraging more than 50 years of accumulated expertise in satellite control, operation, and services.

KT aims to achieve solid growth by innovating AX infrastructure and services on top of its strong fundamentals. With an investment of approximately 5 trillion won, KT will build additional AIDC (AI data centers) to provide ultra-low latency, real-time inference environments nationwide—essential for the era of physical AI and autonomous driving. An additional 1 trillion won will be spent on expanding submarine cables to address the anticipated surge in traffic demand. Based on these investments, KT plans to attract global big tech companies to invest in domestic AIDC, thereby positioning Korea as the 'Asia AX Connection Hub' that draws global traffic.

Park emphasized KT's accumulated know-how in operating AIDC. He said, "We were the first in Korea to commercialize liquid cooling to control the heat generated by high-density GPUs, and we are currently operating it. Our experience and expertise in determining the optimal hydraulic pressure and flow to maintain appropriate temperatures are both our strengths and differentiators."

In the service sector, KT will provide industry-specific B2B AX solutions to address the core needs of customers in finance, public, manufacturing, and healthcare sectors. In finance, sector-specific agentic AI such as AI Contact Centers (AICC) and sales agents will be expanded. In the public sector, KT will target government AX demand by providing trust-based AI services founded on sovereign AI. In manufacturing and healthcare, KT will expand its physical AI business through government demonstration projects.

Token Factory and Stablecoin... AX New Growth Businesses Accelerate

For new growth AX businesses, KT has introduced the Token Factory and Stablecoin projects. Tokens are emerging as a new economic unit in the AI-driven era of connectivity. Leveraging its ultra-precise billing and settlement capabilities developed through telecommunications network operations, KT will combine a nationwide distributed AIDC infrastructure of 1 GW capacity and proprietary models with a token optimization engine. Based on this, KT will establish a Token Factory capable of token creation, brokerage, and billing support, and develop it as a flagship AX business model.

Park stated, "The method of token transactions is shifting to a pay-as-you-go model. Depending on the AI model and who asks what question, token usage varies, and our solution to this is the 'Token Gateway.' By combining this with our expertise in billing, which is where telcos excel, we plan to generate revenue." KT will also enter the stablecoin-based digital financial platform market.

In addition, KT announced a plan to recruit more than 140 new employees in an open recruitment process this September and presented a roadmap to achieve 1 trillion won in global revenue by 2030 through the global standardization of AX business models. Park said, "Based on our enhanced AX capabilities and diverse business portfolio, we will gradually expand our business territory beyond ASEAN to emerging markets," adding, "We will further solidify the fundamentals of the telecommunications business and, on that foundation, achieve certain growth to help Korea become a leading AX nation."

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