“South Chungcheong targets AI capital status”... Governor Park Su-hyeon explores cooperation at New Jersey AI Hub

[Financial News, Hongseong = Reporter Kim Won-jun] South Chungcheong Governor Park Su-hyeon, who traveled to the United States to attract foreign investment and build global cooperation networks, visited the New Jersey AI Hub, a world-class AI innovation center built on public-private-academic collaboration, to strengthen implementation of the province’s “AI Basic Society” policy.
South Chungcheong Province said on the 27th that Governor Park visited the New Jersey AI Hub, located at Princeton University in New Jersey, on the 26th (local time), toured key facilities including shared workspaces, and discussed its operations and plans for exchange and cooperation with key officials, including Liat Kravich, the hub’s CEO.
At the meeting, Governor Park said that South Chungcheong was the only one of South Korea’s 16 metropolitan-level local governments to have set the ambitious goal of becoming an “AI capital.” He explained that the province’s AI transition model is rooted in the lesson learned in the digital age that “the gap between industry and people must not widen,” and takes the “three balances” as its core values.
The New Jersey AI Hub aims to foster a collaborative ecosystem bringing together researchers, startups, educators and industry figures in a space provided by Princeton University. Its founding partners—Princeton University, Microsoft, CoreWeave and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA)—have committed to investing at least $72 million in the initiative combined. The hub runs programs built around three pillars: research and development; commercialization and accelerated innovation; and expanded AI education.
Governor Park noted that the New Jersey AI Hub functions as an innovation platform for society as a whole, going beyond a simple research and industry cluster. He sought ideas for building a South Chungcheong-style control tower, asking about the challenges of bringing institutions, universities and companies with different missions together into one ecosystem, and whether state budget support had affected their autonomy.
The New Jersey AI Hub, a leading public-private-academic AI innovation platform, was launched in March last year with the joint participation of New Jersey, Princeton University, Microsoft (MS), CoreWeave and others. Princeton University is responsible for research and talent development; the New Jersey Economic Development Authority for policy and investment; and MS and CoreWeave for high-performance computing infrastructure. The hub links university research outcomes with company startups, investment and job creation, while also focusing on extending the social benefits of AI, including by supporting AI adoption at small and medium-sized businesses and educating the public through public libraries.
Liat Kravich, the hub’s CEO, said, “The New Jersey AI Hub serves as a focal point for spreading the benefits of AI innovation throughout the local community through an open collaborative system that is not beholden to the interests of any particular company or university.” Governor Park formally invited CEO Liat Kravich and other officials to South Chungcheong and promised continued exchanges and cooperation.
The “AI Basic Society” policy being pursued by South Chungcheong Province goes beyond “AI industrial innovation,” which uses AI technology to boost the competitiveness of businesses and industries. It is a policy framework designed to ensure that everyone can benefit from AI in essential areas of life, including healthcare, education, care and welfare, regardless of where they live, their age or income, or whether they have a disability.
Governor Park stressed, “We will promptly establish a control-tower function bringing the province, universities and businesses together as one ecosystem, and immediately pursue measures to connect in practical terms with advanced models such as the New Jersey AI Hub.”

[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter