President Yoon Suk Yeol and Chey Tae-won, right, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who will serve as the chair of the 2025 APEC CEO Summit, receive the gavel from Fernando Zavala, chair of the 2024 APEC CEO Summit held at the Grand National Theater in Lima, Peru, Nov. 15. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday proposed establishing a forum among Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members to set standards to promote the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and manufacturing industries.

Yoon stressed APEC's significant role in global manufacturing during the APEC CEO summit, a business forum held alongside the APEC summit in Lima, as he noted the world has ushered in an "era of grand AI transition" that affects corporate competitiveness and national security, and changes the paradigm of the global economy.

"Given that APEC accounts for a considerable portion of global manufacturing, we must promote the integration of manufacturing and AI to enhance the competitiveness of businesses in the region," Yoon said.

To this end, Yoon suggested forming a working group to develop common standards and certification systems for industrial AI applications.

He also underscored the importance of stabilizing supply chains among APEC's 21 member economies, which collectively represent more than 2.9 billion people and account for over 60 percent of global GDP, amounting to more than $63 trillion.

"To strengthen digital connectivity, we need to establish new norms and frameworks suitable for the digital era, such as the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement," he said.

Yoon also proposed hosting a "carbon-free summit" involving governments, international organizations and energy companies during next year's APEC summit to address pressing climate change and energy challenges.

Korea will host the 2025 APEC summit in Gyeongju, located about 270 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)