WKF 2026

WORLD KNOWLEDGE FORUM 2025

New Odyssey:
Navigating the Great Transition

September 9-11, 2025
Jangchung Arena · The Shilla Seoul

2025 HIGHLIGHTS

2026 Leaflet

WORLD KNOWLEDGE FORUM 2025

New Odyssey:
Navigating the Great Transition

September 9-11, 2025
Jangchung Arena · The Shilla Seoul

2025 HIGHLIGHTS

2026 Leaflet

WORLD KNOWLEDGE FORUM 2025

New Odyssey:
Navigating the Great Transition

September 9-11, 2025
Jangchung Arena · The Shilla Seoul

2025 HIGHLIGHTS

2026 Leaflet

WORLD KNOWLEDGE FORUM 2025

New Odyssey:
Navigating the Great Transition

September 9-11, 2025
Jangchung Arena · The Shilla Seoul

2025 HIGHLIGHTS

2026 Leaflet

66,022 Participants

6,058 Speakers

86 Countries

1,903 Sessions

The World Knowledge Forum which is

held by Maekyung Media Group, was launched in 2000 to pursue balanced global
development and prosperity based on knowledge sharing.

Learn more

SESSION

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All

Day1
Tuesday, September 9

Day2
Wednesday, September 10

Day3
Thursday, September 11

All

Jangchung

Shilla Hotel

Dynasty A

Dynasty B

Emerald

Ruby

Topaz

Garden Stage

Internal Garden

The-K Hotel Gyeongju

Geomungo Hall

08:30 - 09:20

[2025 WKF Opening Ceremony] New Odyssey: Navigating the Great Transition

10:00 - 10:50

[Open Session] How Cryptocurrency Is Shaping the Future of Assets

10:00 - 10:50

Why India Matters Now

10:00 - 10:50

Europe at a Crossroads: The Path to Revival

10:00 - 10:50

AI & Energy Shift: Opportunities in the U.S. Nuclear Market

10:00 - 10:50

Journey Towards Sovereign AI

11:00 - 11:50

Digital Silk Road vs Silicon Valley: China’s Innovative Drive and U.S. Tech Rivalry

11:00 - 11:50

Surviving Great Power Turmoil in Northeast Asia

11:00 - 11:50

A Great Shift in Trade, Capital, and Strategy

11:00 - 11:50

The Rise and Fall of Nations in an Era of Global Transformation

12:30 - 17:00

Boost Your Health Score with a Pack of Maeil Soymilk Lentil

13:00 - 17:00

When AI Plays Your Emotions: The Moment Your Own Music Begins

13:30 - 14:20

[Open Session] An Era of Upheaval: The Fall and Rise of Civilizations

13:30 - 14:20

2026: Private Equity’s Next Frontier

13:30 - 14:20

Global Defense Industries Outlook

13:30 - 14:20

National Urban Competitiveness Rankings

13:30 - 14:40

The Crypto Revolution: From Legitimization to Market Transformation

14:00 - 14:50

[APEC1] Inclusive Growth Led by APEC

14:00 - 16:00

Baking Happiness Every Day: The Story of Tous Les Jours

14:00 - 16:00

Rediscovering Tradition with a Modern Twist: Have You Heard of Nerd Brewery?

14:30 - 15:20

Why We Must Rethink Open Source for the AI Revolution

14:30 - 15:20

E-Mobility: Game Changers of Future Industry

14:30 - 15:20

[Open Session] A Meeting of Global Leaders in Quantum Computing

14:30 - 15:20

Rearming Europe

15:00 - 15:50

Eliminating Pseudo-Work

15:00 - 15:50

[APEC2] The Future of APEC and the Global Geoeconomic Order

15:30 - 16:20

The Strategic Edge: National Security, Enterprise Innovation, and Investment in the AI Era

15:30 - 16:20

[Open Session] Content Is King: The A to Z of Filmmaking

15:30 - 16:20

Return of Shipbuilding’s Golden Era

15:30 - 16:30

Future of Innovative Cleantech

15:50 - 16:20

Book Signing/ Dennis Normark (I Wish My Boss Were a Chief)

16:00 - 16:50

Understanding of Xi Jinping and the Communist Party

16:00 - 16:50

[APEC3] New Odyssey: Map & Rules in a Great Transition

16:00 - 17:00

In the Heart of Napa Valley: A Tasting with Robert Mondavi Winery

16:30 - 17:20

AI-Era Talent Profile and Education

16:30 - 17:20

Emerging Asia: The Next Investment Frontier

16:40 - 17:30

Energy Transition: Batteries

16:50 - 17:10

Book Signing/ James Robinson (Why Nations Fail)

16:50 - 17:10

Book Signing/ Jared Diamond (Upheaval: How Nations Cope with Crisis and Change)

17:00 - 17:50

Building a World Where AI Innovation, Data Ownership and Human Creativity Coexist

09:00 - 09:50

Global Economic Outlook 2026

09:00 - 09:50

Cleantech and Trump 2.0

09:00 - 10:00

[ASEAN Entrepreneurs Award] Innovation, Inclusivity, and Sustainability

09:30 - 10:20

[Open Session] Dopamine & the Modern Trap

10:00 - 10:40

AI and Cybersecurity: Securing the Future, From an End-to-End Perspective, in the AI Era

10:00 - 10:50

The Future of AI and Investment

10:00 - 10:50

Redefining Educational Boundaries in the Age of AI

10:00 - 10:50

Building Resilience in a Complex Risk Landscape

10:10 - 11:00

Finding Fintech in ASIA

10:20 - 10:50

Book Signing/ Anna Lembke (Dopamine Nation)

11:00 - 11:50

Monetary and Redistributive Policies and Their Effects on Income Inequality

11:00 - 11:50

An America First Governing Model

11:00 - 11:50

[Open Session] The Rise of a New K-Beauty Powerhouse

11:00 - 11:50

Polluted Earth: Questions for Humanity

11:00 - 11:50

New Odyssey: The AI-Powered Frontier of Cybersecurity in Korea

11:10 - 12:00

Tariffs, Tensions, and the Future of Global Trade

11:30 - 13:30

Rediscovering Tradition with a Modern Twist: Have You Heard of Nerd Brewery?

11:30 - 13:30

Thailand – Korea Friendship Lunch Reception

12:00 - 12:30

AI and Diversity: Highlighting the Strength of the Autism Spectrum

12:00 - 12:30

Egypt, Key to Gaza

12:30 - 17:00

Boost Your Health Score with a Pack of Maeil Soymilk Lentil

13:30 - 14:20

Learnings from 40+ years of AI Investments

13:30 - 14:20

[Open Session] Edward Lee’s Food and Culture

13:30 - 14:50

[Korea Conference] Korean Startups Reaching for the World

14:00 - 14:50

The World of Washington Lobbyists

14:00 - 14:50

Japan-Korea Mechatronics Cooperation

14:00 - 14:50

Scaling Beyond Borders: The Turkish Startup Ecosystem For Global Investors

14:00 - 15:00

The World Forged by Chip 4 Alliance

14:00 - 16:00

A Culinary Journey into Deep Flavors: The Taste of Yukmi Bon-ga

14:30 - 15:20

[Open Session] The Secret Behind Obama’s Captivating Speeches

14:30 - 15:20

AI Now, AI Tomorrow: VC Investors and Tech Entrepreneurs’ Perspectives

15:00 - 15:50

SMR Takes Off With AI Wings

15:00 - 15:50

Lessons from Japan’s 30-Year Economy

15:00 - 15:50

The Capabilities and Limitations of AI and the Development of Artificial Intelligence Into Authentic Intelligence

15:10 - 16:10

Mobility 2.0: Driving the Electric Future

15:30 - 16:20

Creative Intelligence: How AI is Rewiring Culture and Media

16:00 - 16:15

Book Signing/ SHIRAKAWA Masaaki (Tumultuous Times: Central Banking in an Era of Crisis)

16:00 - 16:50

The Power of AI For Industries

16:00 - 16:50

60 Years of Korea–Japan Ties: Toward Stronger Business Cooperation

16:00 - 16:50

Sky Shield: The Evolution of the Iron Dome

16:00 - 17:00

In the Heart of Napa Valley: A Tasting with Robert Mondavi Winery

16:10 - 16:30

Book Signing/ Hal Brands (Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China)

16:20 - 17:20

The Future of Advanced Regenerative Medicine and Collaboration with Gyeongbuk

16:30 - 17:20

K-Pop on the Wings of Technology

16:30 - 18:30

Venture Connect: TÜRKIYE-KOREA Tech Investors Roundtable

17:00 - 17:50

Lessons of the Ukraine War

17:00 - 17:50

Global Geopolitical Outlook 2026

17:20 - 18:00

18th Woman Leaders Forum

18:30 - 20:00

World Knowledge Forum Gala Dinner

09:00 - 09:50

AI Power Game: National Strategies and Innovation

09:00 - 09:50

New Opportunities in Digital Transformation and Venture Investment

09:00 - 09:50

Seeking a New US-Korea Relationship

09:10 - 10:10

Future of Human-Centric AI

09:30 - 10:20

How Far Have AI Diagnostics and Treatments Come

10:00 - 10:50

Trump 2.0 and the MAGA Economic Policy

10:00 - 10:50

The Evolution of Smart Livestock Farming Through AI

10:00 - 10:50

Global Trade Order and Future Prospects

10:20 - 11:20

Strategies for Fostering the SMR Ecosystem

10:30 - 11:20

Unlocking New Medicines with AI

11:00 - 11:50

Recent U.S. Trade Policy and the Restructuring of Global Supply Chains

11:00 - 11:50

14th Korea Knowledge Awards

11:00 - 11:50

The Future of Cell Therapy

11:00 - 12:00

Managerless Management

11:30 - 12:30

The World of Quantum Computers

12:00 - 12:15

Book Signing/ Henry Stewart (Happy Manifesto)

14:00 - 14:50

K-Bio’s Competitiveness Through the Eyes of Global Media

15:00 - 15:50

Global Pharma-Bio Industry Trends and Opportunities for K-Bio

16:00 - 16:25

K-Bio: A Roadmap for Evolution Toward the Future

16:27 - 16:55

K-Bio Clusters and K-Bio Lab Hub: Building a Startup Ecosystem

17:00 - 17:25

Initiatives of K-Pharma Bio & Global Firms

17:27 - 17:55

Strategies and Efforts to Overcome Obesity

WORLD KNOWLEDGE FORUM Past Main Speakers

George W Bush The 43rd President of the United States

Bill Gates Microsoft Corporation
Co-founder

Justin Trudeau
The 23rd Prime Minister of Canada

Sam Altman OpenAI
CEO

Hillary Rodham Clinton The 67th United States Secretary of State

Charles Michel
Former President of the European Council

Tony Blair The 73rd Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

David Cameron
The 75th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Nicolas Sarkozy The 23rd President of the France

Gerhard Schroder The 7th Chancellor of Germany

Donald Trump Jr. The Trump Organization
Executive Vice President

Jared Diamond Bestselling Author of “Guns, Germs, and Steel”
Professor Emeritus at UCLA

George Soros Soros Fund Management
Chairman

Larry Ellison Oracle Corporation
Chairman and CTO

Robert F. Smith Vista Equity Partners
Chairman

Francois Hollande
The 24th President of France

Hatoyama Yukio The 93rd Prime Minister of Japan

Enrico Letta Italy
The 55th Prime Minister

Hun Sen President of the Senate of Cambodia

Larry Summers Harvard University
Professor of Economics

KNOWLEDGE STREAM

Knowledge Stream is a webinar series in which we invite top experts from various fields, including technology, industry, economy, finance and politics via online to provide easy, fast, and fun insights.

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2025-05-20

Duolingo and Its Social Impact Mission│Luis von Ahn (Duolingo, Founder)

2025-05-20

An Era of Errors and Bias in AI… What matters most?│Itziar de Ros(IESE)

2025-05-20

Partnership is the foundation for innovative medicine...Novartis will seek growth with K-Bio

2025-01-20

Where does our current quantum technology stand?│Fabio Donati(IBS Center for Quantum Nanoscience)

2023-11-29

The biggest opportunity since the 1990s is coming│Andrew Burych, Brookfield Asset Management

2023-11-29

The Limits of Banks and Governments, Infrastructure Investment for Individuals | Daniel Fuchs

KNOWLEDGE ARCHIVE

It is a space where global speakers of the World Knowledge Forum can meet the knowledge shared at past forums so that they can face the present and see the future based on the past.

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