▲ Kang Sung-min (on stage), vice administrator of the Public Procurement Service, speaks during the 11th Conference of the Asia Pacific Public Electronic Procurement Network held in Thimphu, Bhutan, on Oct. 5, 2026, in this photo released by the agency the next day. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

By Kang Yoon-seung

SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has discussed procurement systems powered by artificial intelligence (AI) technologies with Asian partners during a global conference held in Bhutan, the procurement agency said Tuesday.

The Public Procurement Service (PPS) participated in the 11th Conference of the Asia Pacific Public Electronic Procurement Network held in Thimphu, Bhutan, on Monday, where it shared South Korea's approach to developing AI- and data-powered intelligent procurement.

The event, hosted by Bhutan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), brought together participants from around 40 countries across the Asia-Pacific region to discuss ways to make e-procurement systems more intelligent using AI and data.

The participants shared ideas on promoting sustainable procurement practices that take environmental and social values into account, according to the procurement agency.

"E-procurement must now move toward intelligent procurement that forecasts demand and detects anomalies at an early stage, using data and AI," Kang Sung-min, vice administrator of the agency, said in his keynote speech.

"The more technology advances, the more important it becomes for procurement officials to have the expertise to make final decisions based on the principles of fairness and transparency," Kang said.

"The PPS will continue to work in close cooperation with the ADB and member countries in three directions, intelligent e-procurement, sustainable procurement and strengthening expertise, to contribute to the development of public procurement across the Asia-Pacific region," the official added.

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