On the 27th, attendees of the 15th Future ICT Forum, hosted by The Financial News and the Ministry of Science and ICT at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, lined up to experience Vive Studios’ AI photo booth ‘PLAY ON’ installed at the venue entrance.
○… AI Cartoon Photo Experience Draws Crowd
A photo booth that transforms your "Life Four-Cut" pictures into AI-generated cartoons became a popular attraction. Vive Studios set up the PLAY ON AI photo booth, which uses AI technology to turn a user’s appearance into a character or morph it into various styles. It offers shooting modes like ‘Play Toon’, which converts your face into comic-style artwork, and ‘AI Profile’, which lets you take photos as different genders or professions. Forum participants visited during breaks and lunch to try it out.
○… AI Becomes the Norm Among Major Companies
There’s growing consensus that AI is now the mainstream. As Apple continues its collaboration with OpenAI, both Samsung and LG are closely monitoring developments. Oh Se-chun, Executive VP at LG Electronics, commented, “These days, you almost have to include AI in your pitch just to get investment.” Yoon Jong-deok, Executive VP at Samsung, added, “We’re really feeling how suddenly AI has exploded.”
○… AI Seen as the Future of IT – Despite Lack of Immediate Results
Although attendees agreed that AI is the next breakthrough in IT, many acknowledged the challenge of turning it into measurable success. One attendee said, “AI has yet to show real growth or revenue. It’s all investment now—but it could just become wastepaper if things go wrong.” They also pointed out that even OpenAI, despite being far ahead, spends tens of millions of won monthly without posting profits, which makes it unsustainable.
○… LINE Yahoo Controversy Also a Hot Topic
Kim Chi-hyun, an executive at Naver, noted that they’ll be discussing future plans with Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on July 1. “If things don’t go the way we want, we’ll ask for government support,” he said. There was also consensus that corporate disputes shouldn’t be resolved through political maneuvering. FN's Editor-in-Chief Noh Dong-il emphasized, “It’s not about absolute wins or losses—things can’t be viewed that simply.”
○… Samsung's Adaptability Highlighted Amid Rapid Industry Changes
In light of the fast-changing industry, Samsung’s flexible business strategy was discussed. VP Yoon Jong-deok explained, “While decisions can come top-down from management, bottom-up decision-making is also possible. We're open to both.”
○… Cybersecurity and North Korea’s Influence on Korean Tech Capabilities
One attendee stated that South Korea’s improvements in security technology are partly due to North Korea. “Security has become more critical than ever,” they said, noting that Korea’s science and tech is now nearly on par with Japan. In fact, “we’re stronger than Japan in cybersecurity because we have a clear adversary—North Korea—which forces us to develop fast, effective response systems.”
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On the 27th, attendees of the 15th Future ICT Forum, hosted by The Financial News and the Ministry of Science and ICT at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, lined up to experience Vive Studios’ AI photo booth ‘PLAY ON’ installed at the venue entrance.
○… AI Cartoon Photo Experience Draws Crowd
A photo booth that transforms your "Life Four-Cut" pictures into AI-generated cartoons became a popular attraction. Vive Studios set up the PLAY ON AI photo booth, which uses AI technology to turn a user’s appearance into a character or morph it into various styles. It offers shooting modes like ‘Play Toon’, which converts your face into comic-style artwork, and ‘AI Profile’, which lets you take photos as different genders or professions. Forum participants visited during breaks and lunch to try it out.
○… AI Becomes the Norm Among Major Companies
There’s growing consensus that AI is now the mainstream. As Apple continues its collaboration with OpenAI, both Samsung and LG are closely monitoring developments. Oh Se-chun, Executive VP at LG Electronics, commented, “These days, you almost have to include AI in your pitch just to get investment.” Yoon Jong-deok, Executive VP at Samsung, added, “We’re really feeling how suddenly AI has exploded.”
○… AI Seen as the Future of IT – Despite Lack of Immediate Results
Although attendees agreed that AI is the next breakthrough in IT, many acknowledged the challenge of turning it into measurable success. One attendee said, “AI has yet to show real growth or revenue. It’s all investment now—but it could just become wastepaper if things go wrong.” They also pointed out that even OpenAI, despite being far ahead, spends tens of millions of won monthly without posting profits, which makes it unsustainable.
○… LINE Yahoo Controversy Also a Hot Topic
Kim Chi-hyun, an executive at Naver, noted that they’ll be discussing future plans with Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on July 1. “If things don’t go the way we want, we’ll ask for government support,” he said. There was also consensus that corporate disputes shouldn’t be resolved through political maneuvering. FN's Editor-in-Chief Noh Dong-il emphasized, “It’s not about absolute wins or losses—things can’t be viewed that simply.”
○… Samsung's Adaptability Highlighted Amid Rapid Industry Changes
In light of the fast-changing industry, Samsung’s flexible business strategy was discussed. VP Yoon Jong-deok explained, “While decisions can come top-down from management, bottom-up decision-making is also possible. We're open to both.”
○… Cybersecurity and North Korea’s Influence on Korean Tech Capabilities
One attendee stated that South Korea’s improvements in security technology are partly due to North Korea. “Security has become more critical than ever,” they said, noting that Korea’s science and tech is now nearly on par with Japan. In fact, “we’re stronger than Japan in cybersecurity because we have a clear adversary—North Korea—which forces us to develop fast, effective response systems.”
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