President Lee: "The Goal Is an Irreplaceable Korea... AI Is Not Possible Without Korea"

Lee Meets with Korean Community in San Francisco on the 25th
"I Want to Make Korea a Leading Nation, a Step Ahead of Others"

President Lee Jae-myung, who is on an official visit to the United States, stated on the 25th (local time), "My goal is to make the Republic of Korea an irreplaceable country," adding, "It is to become such a key player that people would consider nothing can be done without Korea."

At a meeting with overseas Koreans held at a hotel in San Francisco on this day, President Lee remarked, "Yesterday, I realized just how high the expectations for Korea are — even higher than we had anticipated or expected." President Lee announced the "San Francisco Artificial Intelligence (AI) Declaration" the previous day, and global big tech firms and Korean companies have agreed to cooperate in the semiconductor and AI sectors.

President Lee Jae-myung and Mrs. Kim Hye-kyung are posing for a commemorative photo with flower attendants at a luncheon meeting for overseas Koreans held at a hotel in San Francisco on the 25th (local time). 2026.7.26 Yonhap News Agency.

Regarding the concept of an irreplaceable nation, President Lee explained, "The goal is to make it so people feel that neither AI nor industrial development is possible without Korea." He continued, "While Korea's central strength now lies mostly in semiconductors, countless new industries, such as physical AI, will emerge in the future." He added, "We are creating a situation where progress in the new society cannot be achieved without Korea."

Additionally, President Lee said, "Until now, we have caught up by learning from other countries and following existing precedents, but from now on, I genuinely wish to make Korea a step ahead — a true leader among nations." He assessed, "It has become a reality that this is actually possible."

Furthermore, President Lee stated, "Historically and in reality, Korea is the only country liberated from colonial rule that has simultaneously achieved democratization and industrialization and leaped forward into an advanced nation." He continued, "Even so-called praetorian military coups, which succeed more than 90 percent of the time on average, were overcome peacefully in Korea. This is a great peaceful revolution in world history."

On this note, he said, "I believe that democracy has become a very essential factor in the industrial economic development of modern advanced industrial societies." He further explained, "In an environment of fierce competition, rationality, objectivity, transparency, and predictability greatly benefit economic development." He concluded, "This is why I believe that a truly new opportunity has arrived for Korea."

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