From the Sorbonne in Paris, the South Korean president presented the idea of creating a world institution under the aegis of the UN. A proposal closely linked to the Korean candidacy for the Universal Exposition, which -in a city recognized as one of the capitals of the digital transition- would have among its key themes “technology at the service of humanity”.
Paris () – South Korea proposes the creation of an international authority to set standards for digital order. President Yoon Suk-yeol said it yesterday in Paris, highlighting the paradox that new digital technologies improve people’s lives with their convenience, but at the same time they pose a threat to human freedom.
The place from which he launched the proposal is not accidental: Yoon made a stopover in the French capital to attend the general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), where he presented Busan’s candidacy for the 2030 World Expo, a crucial objective. for his administration since the electoral campaign that led him to the presidency.
Busan is competing with Rome, Riyadh and Odessa – the other candidate cities – in an election to be held in November. Over the past year, the South Korean president has seized every opportunity to promote his country’s candidacy: the most recent example was during the Korea-Pacific Islands Forum. The Korean project is based on three thematic axes: “Sustainable life with nature”, which is linked to the theme of climate change; “Technology for humanity”, which is related to the side effects of advanced technological development on the human species; and “Platform to care and share”, to solve the inequalities between social classes and countries. The three sub-themes fall under the overall theme proposed by South Korea: “Transforming our world, sailing towards a better future.”
For Seoul, getting the Expo hosted would be a major achievement for two reasons. On the one hand, there is the important economic aspect: according to the government’s calculations, organizing it would generate benefits of more than 40,000 million dollars and would help create more than 500,000 jobs. But, at the same time, the Expo would be an important opportunity to boost the country’s regional and global prestige. Precisely for this reason, South Korea is linking its candidacy to issues such as innovation and technological transition, sectors in which the country wants to propose its leadership.
The very choice of Busan as the venue is not accidental: the port city, the second largest in the country, has already hosted international events, such as the 2022 Asian Games and numerous APEC meetings. But, above all, over the years it has played a key role in the transformation of South Korea and today it is one of the symbols of its technological development, in areas such as the digital transition, artificial intelligence and the digital economy: In 2022, the Global Smart Centers Index (SCI) ranked Busan 22nd on the list of the best Smart Cities in the world.
The idea of the Digital Ethics Authority proposed by Yoon before an audience of professors and researchers at the Paris Digital Vision Forum organized by the Sorbonne also fits into this framework. It would be a body subordinate to the United Nations that would have the mission of promoting the development of international standards that can guarantee regulation in the use of new technologies.
The proposal has been called the Paris Initiative and responds to many of the concerns that have arisen internationally in this field. In her speech at the Sorbonne, Yoon noted that new technologies, particularly those related to data and artificial intelligence, are giving rise to great ambiguity due to the lack of shared ethical norms governing their development and use.
South Korea is one of the leading countries in this field and it is not surprising that Yoon aspires to play a role in its regulation. Already last September, the President had announced a new digital development strategy for South Korea. And if Busan is indeed awarded the 2030 World Expo, South Korea will have a chance to further cement its leadership role in a world that, as he mentions in his proposal, is in need of a profound transformation.
