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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Trudeau, other experts headline 26th World Knowledge Forum in Seoul

Trudeau, other experts headline 26th World Knowledge Forum in Seoul

Published Sep 8, 2025 08:56 pm
Dr. Chang Dae-Whan, Chairman of Maekyung Media Group and founder of the World Knowledge Forum (left) and former Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau (right)
Dr. Chang Dae-Whan, Chairman of Maekyung Media Group and founder of the World Knowledge Forum (left) and former Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau (right)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Former Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau and other leading experts will seek to address pressing global issues and the comprehensive transformation facing humanity at the 26th World Knowledge Forum (WKF) here.
Dr. Chang Dae-Whan, chairman of Maekyung Media Group and founder of the WKF, said the forum is being held at a critical juncture, “as the established order and systems that have driven global economic growth are collapsing and an intense arms race is accelerating.”
“The era of strongmen is undermining globalization and free trade, prioritizing national interests and strengthening protectionism, while economically and militarily threatening neighboring countries,” he stressed.
Dr. Chang added that rapid technological advancements led by Artificial Intelligence (AI) are shaking the foundations of industry and politics.
“Humanity is caught in the midst of a sweeping transformation. The world’s major powers, including the United States and China, are investing astronomical sums in transformative technologies such as AI, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology, and robotics, presenting rosy outlooks for the future,” he said.
Amid these simultaneous and rapid changes in politics, economy, and culture, and intensifying social conflicts, Chang said the Maeil Business Newspaper chose the main theme of this year’s forum as “New Odyssey: Navigating the Great Transition.”
“Homer’s classic ‘Odyssey’ tells the story of a long journey in which humanity overcomes chaos, hardship, and temptations that are easy to fall into, finding hope through courage and challenge. In this era of great transition, where old systems are regressing and political and economic uncertainties are mounting, we hope that humanity can overcome these crises with wisdom and knowledge,” Chang said.
The WKF was founded in October 2000 with the aim to transform Korea into a knowledge-driven nation. Since then, the WKF has served as a platform for active discussions aimed at narrowing knowledge gaps through knowledge sharing and fostering balanced global economic growth and prosperity.
Aside from Trudeau, the WKF’s 26th anniversary year speakers will also include Charles Michel, former president of the European Council; Jared Diamond, Professor Emeritus at UCLA; Robert F. Smith, Chairman of Vista Equity Partners; Herbest Diess, former Chairman of Volkswagen and current Chairman of Infineon; Martin Eberhard, co-founder of Tesla; Nazir Razak, former chairman of CIMB; Jim Moran, former Republican congressman; Ashishkumar Chauhan, CEO of the National Stock Exchange of India; Chad Wolf, Executive Vice President of the America First Policy Institute; Anna Lembke, a Stanford University professor and author of “Dopamine Nation;” Anne Corona, CEO of Enterprise Clients of Aon; Marisa Chearavanont, Special Adviser to the CP Group Chairman; Kurt Björklund, Chairman of Permira; Ian Horrocks, a professor at Oxford University; James Robinson, a University of Chicago professor; and Zhang Ya-Qin, Dean of Institute for AI Industry Research of Tsinghua University.

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