Since our founding in 1946, the Kyunghyang Shinmun has been continuously advancing for nearly 8 decades. In 1998, the Kyunghyang Shinmun was reborn as Korea's first employee stock owned newspaper as an independent media outlet and became a representative public opinion newspaper in Korea which is not biased towards any side.

To commemorate our 70th anniversary in 2016, we launched the first <Kyunghyang Forum> under the theme of The New Normal Era - Innovation and Insights. Following that, it has secured meaningful breakthroughs under various distinguishing topics. It addressed the themes of the 4th Industrial Revolution - New Opportunities and New Challenges in 2017, BEYOND $30000, Striving for a better tomorrow - Beyond inequality in 2018, Korean Peninsula 2.0 - Working Towards Mutual Prosperity in 2019, COVID-19 and Its Aftermath: Roadmap for Navigating the Post-Pandemic World Order in 2020, Living with the Climate Crisis: The Path to Survival in 2021, The Age of Great Transformation: Roads to a Sustainable Future in 2022, Beyond Growth – New Paradigms for Common Prosperity in 2023 and Bridging the Divide, the Value of Diversity and Inclusion in 2024.

This year, <Kyunghyang Forum> will explore the theme of “The Age of Hyper-Acceleration: Beyond Fear to Hope.” Technological advances led by artificial intelligence are reshaping politics, economics, society, and culture while becoming a global issue that impacts everything from the environment to employment. This AI revolution often likened to past industrial revolutions, offers tremendous opportunity but is also a double-edged sword that poses unpredictable risks. As human consciousness and ways of life rapidly evolve, now is the time to seek collective wisdom on how to build a future where humanity and AI can coexist in harmony.

This year’s <Kyunghyang Forum> will feature a distinguished lineup of international experts. Jeremy RIFKIN, a globally renowned economic and social theorist and Chairman of the Foundation on Economic Trends in the United States, will deliver a keynote speech. Also joining are Gina NEFF, Executive Director of the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, University of Cambridge, known for her research on equitable AI policy; XIANG Biao, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Germany, whose work critically examines the structural oppression experienced by individuals in contemporary society; and Bo AN, a leading scholar in AI research and President’s Chair Professor in Computer Science, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. From Korea, we are joined by LEE Kwang Hyung, President of KAIST; Professor MOON Byung-Ro from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering of Seoul National University; Professor LEE Jung-Dong from the College of Engineering of Seoul National University; Professor KIM Jae-Yin from the Center for Cross-Cultural Studies, Kyung Hee University; Professor KIM Hyo-eun from the Department of Liberal Arts and Humanities, Hanbat National University; BAE Kyunghoon, President of LG AI Research; and HA Jung-Woo, Head of AI Innovation Center (EVP) at Naver Cloud. A special lecture will also be delivered by acclaimed novelist CHUNG Serang.

This year’s <Kyunghyang Forum> will serve as a meaningful opportunity to explore how technology and humanity can coexist and thrive in an era of unprecedented change. The Kyunghyang Shinmun remains committed to promoting a sustainable and equitable future, and we look forward to your continued interest and participation. Thank you.