Lima: President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday proposed establishing a forum among Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members to set standards to promote the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and manufacturing industries. Yoon emphasized APEC's crucial role in global manufacturing during the APEC CEO summit, a business forum held alongside the APEC summit in Lima. He highlighted that the world has entered an "era of grand AI transition" impacting corporate competitiveness, national security, and altering the paradigm of the global economy. According to Yonhap News Agency, Yoon stated that APEC accounts for a significant portion of global manufacturing, and it is essential to integrate manufacturing with AI to enhance business competitiveness in the region. To achieve this, he suggested forming a working group to develop common standards and certification systems for industrial AI applications. Yoon also emphasized the need to stabilize supply chains among APEC's 21 member economies, which collectiv ely represent over 2.9 billion people and account for more than 60 percent of global GDP, amounting to over $63 trillion. He stressed the importance of establishing new norms and frameworks suitable for the digital era, such as the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, to strengthen digital connectivity. In addition, Yoon proposed holding a "carbon-free summit" involving governments, international organizations, and energy companies during next year's APEC summit to address urgent climate change and energy challenges. South Korea is set to host the 2025 APEC summit in Gyeongju, located about 270 kilometers south of Seoul.