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Prime minister meets UN chief to promote Korea's bid to host AI hub

Published: 17 Mar. 2026, 18:46

Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, left, poses for a photo with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during their meeting at the UN headquarters in New York on March 16 in this photo released by Kim's office. [PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE]

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this week to promote South Korea's bid to host a global AI hub, his office said Tuesday.

Kim, who has been on a two-nation tour that will later take him to Switzerland, visited the UN's headquarters in New York on Monday, as well as the offices of UNICEF and the United Nations Development Program.

During his meeting with Guterres, the prime minister stressed the need to strengthen UN-centered multilateralism in order to address common challenges facing the international community, and reaffirmed Korea's commitment to playing a responsible role and contributing to the effort, his office said in a press release.

In particular, he emphasized South Korea's desire to work with UN member states and international bodies to strengthen multilateral cooperation over AI issues in terms of technology and rules. He also requested the UN's help with South Korea's efforts to hold dialogues with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.

In response, Guterres voiced his support for South Korea's push to establish the Global AI Hub, an initiative aimed at bringing together UN bodies and South Korea's private and public sectors to produce AI-based solutions to global issues.

He also "highly assessed" the North Korea policies and other global and regional policies of President Lee Jae Myung's administration, according to Kim's office.

The prime minister later met separately with Catherine Russell, executive director of UNICEF, who expressed her intent to actively participate in the South Korean initiative.

He also met with UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo, who welcomed the project, Kim's office said.

The prime minister is set to travel to Geneva on Tuesday to hold similar discussions with the heads of the World Health Organization, the International Labor Organization and the International Organization for Migration.

Yonhap