Unique Research · Event signup · July 16, 2024
Since 2019 Korea has pushed AI under a national strategy — “from IT power to AI power” — with 2030 goals including top-three digital competitiveness, ~KRW 455T of AI-driven economic impact, and top-ten quality of life. Public AI R&D support was about KRW 68.4B (~¥3.7B) in 2023, with deep strength in AI semiconductors. Progress spans speech, NLP, and computer vision across smart manufacturing, cities, healthcare, and finance.
Busan International Advertising Festival (MAD STARS), founded 2008, is a fast-rising Asian creative festival — awards, forums, exhibitions, and business exchange — and the world’s first major international ad festival with free entry submission. It runs mid-to-late August each year in Busan, blending Marketing, Advertising, and Digital Contents. Online prelims year-round plus offline finals. 2024 theme: “AIM: Achieve Marketing Success with AI.” Expect META, Google, and other global executives, work exhibitions, and a China–Korea advertising summit.
Unique Capital partner and marketing expert Wu Di leads a 7-day / 6-night Korea AI + MAD STARS study tour to see AI in global advertising and meet Korean AI hubs and R&D centers.
Tour lead
Wu Di — Unique Capital partner; host of Unique outbound study camps; AI & go-to-market investing and post-investment; U.S., Middle East, Southeast Asia outbound tours and landing advisory. Formerly VP at Jushuitan; Meituan commercialization marketing GM; Fanli Tech VP; Shanda Group marketing/PR across businesses. Awards include China Digital Marketing Outstanding Innovator (10 years), IAI Digital Marketing Person, China Top 10 CMO, Golden Mouse 10-Year Digital Marketing Person, and Economic Observer Fashion Woman of the Year. Final judge at MAD STARS, Effie, Shanghai/China International Ad Festivals; guest lecturer at Renmin University advertising and Peking University creative communication management.
Four themes
- Attend MAD STARS — AI and frontier tech in global advertising
- AI development in Korea — industry status and technical strengths
- Global AI-in-advertising trends
- MAD STARS program (detail below)
MAD STARS draws tens of thousands of people and 20,000+ entries yearly; 200+ judges from 57 countries for online prelims and online/offline finals.
Two cities + enterprise visits
Seoul AI Hub (est. 2017) — supports AI startups and investors; trains talent; hunts unicorns; cross-cultural research. Help with tech problems, overseas expansion, management. 163 member companies; value >KRW 2T; 14 honors including CES Innovation Awards.
LG Science Park — LG Group R&D center opened 2018; Korea’s largest R&D campus (>1M m² ≈ 152 football fields); ~20,000 people from 8 LG affiliates, partners, and startups. Magok innovation district; phase-2 / LG Arts Center / LG Explore Lab plans. LG (est. 1947) operates 300+ overseas offices in 171 countries (LG Electronics, Display, Chem, H&H, etc.).
One national research university
KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) — Korea’s first technology university (1971, Daejeon); QS world top-50 (#41 in 2022 QS; #9 Asia 2020). Member of APRU, AEARU, etc. Special KAIST Act: train elite researchers, national basic research, fully government-funded.
Seven cultural stops
- Dongdaemun DDP — Zaha Hadid; 86,574 m²; ~KRW 484B; 5 years; world’s largest non-standard architecture landmark.
- Starfield Library — viral Seoul Instagram spot; three 13m bookshelves; 50,000+ books/magazines; e-books; light shows.
- Namsan cable car — running since May 12, 1962; classic K-drama location.
- Eunpyeong Hanok Village — traditional houses at the foot of Bukhansan.
- Haedong Yonggungsa — Korea’s only seaside temple (Busan east coast; founded 1376); sunrise over rocks and surf.
- Gamcheon Culture Village — “Santorini of Busan”; former refugee hillside turned colorful mural village (2009); Running Man fame.
- Busan International Market — city’s largest, oldest market; hub near Gwangbok fashion street, Bupyeong canned-goods market, Bosu-dong book street, Jagalchi market.
Registration channel and further details appear in the original Chinese post and accompanying images (5 images in source).
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