KT (CEO Kim Young-seop) announced on the 12th that it has signed a Strategic Partnership 2.0 with Viettel Group (hereinafter referred to as Viettel Group), a Vietnamese state-owned ICT company, and will begin full-scale cooperation to establish Vietnam's national AI strategy and expand AX in the industry.
This agreement is significant as it was signed ahead of the "Korea-Vietnam Business Forum," which will be attended by approximately 500 businesspeople from both countries, and it serves as a symbolic model of AX cooperation that is attracting global attention.
This agreement is a follow-up measure to the first partnership between the two companies in May, and the two companies have entered the subsequent phase of cooperation to practically promote joint projects and concretize their participation in Vietnam's national AI strategy. Executives from both companies have been in close discussions to design a cooperation roadmap and implement the agreement's provisions through several trips between the two countries.
The signing ceremony, held at KT's Gwanghwamun East Building on the 11th, was attended by KT CEO Kim Young-seop, Viettel Group Chairman and CEO Tao Duc Thang, and other key executives from both companies.
The two companies will collaborate on four key pillars: establishing a national AI strategy and developing industry-specific AX platforms; expanding Southeast Asian AX businesses based on global partnerships; fostering AI-based cybersecurity and a safe digital and AX environment; and investing in strengthening AX capabilities and fostering AI talent. They will jointly develop a "national general-purpose AI language model" that has learned Vietnam's unique language, culture, and administrative environment. This model will be applied across education, administration, and public services, laying the foundation for Vietnam's digital sovereignty and national AI utilization. Furthermore, they will build a "vertical AX platform" optimized for Vietnam's core industries, such as healthcare, defense, and media, to introduce customized AI solutions. This is expected to serve as a practical weapon for expanding Vietnam's AX achievements by increasing productivity and efficiency across each industry.
The two companies have drawn up a blueprint for expanding the Southeast Asian AX ecosystem. Viettel Group will join KT's extensive global partnerships and technology ecosystem to promote technological collaboration and information sharing with global big tech companies. This will contribute to the successful implementation of Vietnam's national AX project and ensure that KT's AI innovation experience extends beyond its borders to neighboring markets.
To strengthen AX capabilities and cultivate AI talent, the company will establish the "Global AX Innovation Center (G-AXC)" and train experts in research, development, and validation of national general-purpose AI language models. Furthermore, to help Vietnamese citizens effectively utilize AI in their daily lives, the company will develop and operate a practical, specialized AX training program and a certification system to objectively assess relevant capabilities.
With AI-based threats escalating, both companies will also work together to build a secure AX ecosystem. They will jointly research AI solutions that analyze and block phishing crimes such as voice phishing and deepfakes in real time. They will share key phishing cases and technological expertise from both countries and build a database based on this knowledge to enhance the security of the AX ecosystem.
Along with the signing of the Strategic Partnership 2.0, the two companies also attended the "Korea-Vietnam Business Forum" hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the 12th. KT and Viettel Group presented partnership cases during the bilateral exchange and discussed various cooperation plans with companies with AX capabilities.
Jung Woo-jin, Executive Director of KT's Strategy and Business Consulting Division, attended the "Korea-Vietnam Science and Technology Cooperation Luncheon," a side event of the Korea-Vietnam Business Forum, and presented on the topic of "KT's AI·AX Strategic Direction and Cooperation Plan in Vietnam." He introduced KT's strategic direction to strengthen internal AI engineering capabilities and expand the AX ecosystem to respond to the global competition for AI hegemony, and presented an agenda for mutual cooperation to promote AX growth in both Korea and Vietnam.
KT is building a "Global AX Delivery Model" through close collaboration with Viettel Group. By continuing consultations and contracts with Viettel across all AX areas, KT will respond flexibly and quickly to changing market conditions. This is a comprehensive export model that is not limited to simply developing AI models or services, but also involves AX, talent development, and AI popularization. KT plans to continuously expand exports in the AX field and establish itself as a leading Korean AX company in the global market.
Tao Duc Thang, Chairman and CEO of Viettel Group
Through this agreement with KT, we will secure AI solutions that reflect Vietnam’s unique data and industrial characteristics, and we expect that the innovative platform that combines the technological prowess of both countries will lead the digital transformation of Vietnam’s entire industry
Kim Young-seop, CEO of KT
Establishing a national AI strategy and developing industry-specific AX platforms are meaningful collaborations that go beyond simply providing technology and contribute to securing Vietnam’s future growth engines. As a global AI innovation partner, KT will open a new era of AI together with Vietnam
