▲ Prime Minister Kim Min-seok (C) watches as officials sign a letter of intent outlining six U.N. agencies' willingness to cooperate for the launch of a global hub for artificial intelligence in South Korea, in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 17, 2026, in this photo provided by the prime minister's office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok (L) poses for a photo with Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), during their meeting at the WHO headquarters in Geneva on March 17, 2026, in this photo released by Kim's office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

PM-UN agencies

S. Korea wins cooperation of 6 U.N. agencies for global AI hub

By Lee Haye-ah

SEOUL, March 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has signed a letter of intent with six U.N. agencies outlining their willingness to cooperate for the launch of a global hub for artificial intelligence (AI) in the country, the prime minister's office said Wednesday.

The document was signed in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday (local time), by officials from the science ministry on the South Korean side and the International Labor Organization (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Telecommunication Union, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Program and the United Nations Development Program on the U.N. side, the office said in a press release.

The signing ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who has been on a two-nation tour of the United States and Switzerland to promote South Korea's bid to host the AI hub.

The government has billed the hub as a platform bringing together U.N. bodies, and South Korea's private and public sectors to produce AI-based solutions to global issues.

Following meetings with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other agency chiefs in New York, Kim met in Geneva with ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo, IMO Director-General Amy Pope and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

During the meetings, Kim stated South Korea's intention to help developing countries and vulnerable groups through global cooperation in AI, according to his office.

The three agency chiefs expressed their support for the South Korean initiative and agreed to communicate closely over the details of the planned hub, it said.

Upon returning home, Kim plans to explain the project and the outcome of his trip during a public reporting session tentatively scheduled for next Tuesday.

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