In an Era of Upheaval: The Qualities of a Leading Nation 

The decline of the Western-centered order represents both a crisis and an opportunity to collectively shape a new global order. 

Keynote Session I will feature keynote presentations by Professor Amitav Acharya, President Kim Heung-kyu of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, and Professor Kim Yang-hee, offering a diagnosis of our times through the lenses of international politics, diplomacy, and economic security, and exploring Korea’s strategic direction for the future. Amid fragmented global governance and weakening democratic norms, the session will examine the conditions and principles Korea must embrace to move beyond its successful experience as a fast follower and emerge as a leading nation.

As AI technology becomes increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few, the question of who will ensure its reliability and public interest—and how—has become a shared global challenge. Keynote Session II will feature keynote presentations by Nabiha Syed, Executive Director of the Mozilla Foundation, and Kwon Oh-hyun, Chair of Parti, exploring trustworthy AI and citizen sovereignty. A special dialogue will follow, examining the Korean government's vision for an “AI Basic Society.” 

The session will explore the conditions Korea needs to become a leading nation in the AI era, ensuring that technology serves not the interests of a few, but public trust and inclusion.

The expansion of platform work, together with AI and automation, is increasing instability in the labor market. 

Existing labor policies and social safety nets do not yet fully address the realities of work facing younger generations. 

Keynote Session III will open with a keynote presentation by Kim Jong-jin, Director of the Institute for Working Citizens, examining the current state of youth employment and directions for redesigning labor policy. A roundtable discussion, moderated by Byeon Geum-seon, Director of the Population Change Response Research Center at the Seoul Institute, will then bring together experts and activists from the fields of labor, technology, and youth to broaden the conversation. By connecting on-the-ground realities with policy discussions, the session will explore the conditions of work that younger generations will face in the AI era and examine the principles of a new social contract that Korean society needs to embrace.

Social Solidarity Economy: Redefining Regional Development

As crises become increasingly normalized and social structures and systems are rapidly being reshaped, growing gaps are emerging across various areas of everyday life—including care, employment, housing, and local commerce—that existing institutions alone cannot adequately address. The social and solidarity economy, as a form of “reciprocal economy” in which residents and diverse local actors work together to address shared needs and distribute benefits and responsibilities, offers an important practical strategy for responding to these gaps.

As discussions continue on national policy initiatives and comprehensive plans to make the social and solidarity economy a key pillar of livelihood policy, the launch of the ninth term of local governments presents an opportunity to redesign the way people live and local economies function. This session will examine policies and practical cases in which the social and solidarity economy has addressed challenges in local care, employment, and commercial districts, and discuss the role and responsibilities of local governments in expanding these efforts into a shared foundation for regional development.

The Third Sector in Transition: Redefining the Role of Public Interest Foundations

As crises become increasingly normalized and social structures and systems are rapidly being reshaped, growing gaps are emerging across various areas of everyday life—including care, employment, housing, and local commerce—that existing institutions alone cannot adequately address. The social and solidarity economy, as a form of “reciprocal economy” in which residents and diverse local actors work together to address shared needs and share benefits and responsibilities, offers an important practical strategy for responding to these gaps.

As discussions continue on national policy initiatives and comprehensive plans to make the social and solidarity economy a key pillar of livelihood policy, the launch of the ninth-term local governments presents an opportunity to redesign the way people live and local economies function. This session will examine policies and practical cases in which the social and solidarity economy has addressed challenges in local care, employment, and commercial districts, and discuss the role and responsibilities of local governments in expanding these efforts into a shared foundation for regional development.