[Exclusive] Upstage CEO Sung Kim makes debut on Japan’s AI stage... Upstage accelerates push into local market

[Financial News] Upstage Co., Ltd., which is pursuing an initial public offering (IPO), is moving to expand its presence in the Japanese market. Its CEO, Sung Kim, was invited to speak for the first time at Japan’s largest AI event, where he personally presented the company’s technological strengths and business strategy to key local government and business figures. The appearance is drawing attention as it gives the company a foothold for broadening collaboration with Japanese businesses and attracting new customers at a time when demonstrating overseas business results and growth potential has become important ahead of its IPO.
According to industry sources on the 15th, Kim recently spoke at the Generative AI Summit 2026, hosted by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) in Tokyo, Japan, under the theme “Transition to an AI-Native Society.” It was the first time Kim had taken the stage at a Japanese AI event.
Kim said he founded the company to bridge the gap between outstanding AI technology and its ability to deliver real business results. He highlighted its document extraction and processing platform, Document AI, and its proprietary large language model (LLM), Solar, as core competitive strengths.
He emphasized that it is important to go beyond competition over AI model performance and develop technology that can be used in real-world industries. Citing the use of Solar in reviewing the South Korean government’s research and development (R&D) budget, he underscored that practical AI applications that improve efficiency at businesses and public institutions will determine competitiveness.
He also stressed the importance of each country securing its own AI models. His point was that greater dependence on foreign AI models could weaken a country’s technological competitiveness and industrial leadership. Kim said that in Japan, too, Upstage intends to go beyond simply supplying AI models developed in South Korea and work with local companies to jointly build enterprise AI models optimized for Japan’s industrial environment.
Upstage Co., Ltd. sees Japan as a key base for expanding its global enterprise AI business. It is stepping up its push into the local market through its Japanese subsidiary, Upstage Japan, established in Tokyo last March. The company is also expanding business partnerships with local firms, including developing Shin Pro, an LLM specialized for Japanese, in collaboration with Japanese AI company Karakuri last year.
The event is expected to help Upstage Co., Ltd. expand its influence in Japan and identify new customers, particularly given that numerous major information technology (IT) companies—including Sony, SoftBank Group Corp., Panasonic and Sakana AI—attended alongside Japanese government officials at the ministerial level, such as Digital Minister Toshiharu Furukawa.
An industry source said, “Japan, which was relatively slow to adopt AI, is now moving to actively adopt successful AI cases from South Korea,” adding, “As sentiment in Japan, which had been closed to adopting foreign AI models, shifts, the outlook for Upstage’s local business has also brightened.”
[email protected] Jang Min-kwon Reporter