Seoul – Snowflake, the data cloud company, convened an ‘Executive Roundtable’ in Seoul on March 19, bringing together leaders from South Korea’s manufacturing, finance, gaming, and retail sectors to discuss the burgeoning role of “agentic AI” in driving business value, according to attendees.
Ki-Young Choi, Country Manager of Snowflake Korea, opened the event by asserting that 2026 will be a pivotal year for autonomous AI agents, stating they will “determine the competitiveness of companies.” The roundtable focused on strategies for leveraging these agents, which are capable of planning and executing tasks independently, and the data infrastructure required to support them.
Christian Kleinermann, Senior Vice President at Snowflake, emphasized the critical importance of data security and governance for the reliable operation of agentic AI, highlighting the strengths of Snowflake’s architecture in addressing these concerns. The discussion underscored a growing recognition that robust data management is paramount to successful AI implementation.
Several Korean companies presented case studies demonstrating the practical applications of Snowflake-based AI agents. Neowiz, a gaming company, reported a dramatic acceleration in decision-making, reducing data analysis time from one to two weeks to just ten minutes. Pulmuone, a food and beverage manufacturer, detailed plans to integrate and analyze supply chain data to optimize inventory and profitability, with future expansion into AI-driven simulation and decision analysis.
A demonstration showcased the real-time derivation of insights from unstructured data, providing attendees with a tangible example of agentic AI in action. Choi stressed that “corporate competitiveness depends more on the ability to generate tangible results based on reliable data than on whether or not AI is adopted,” signaling a shift in focus from simply adopting AI to effectively utilizing it.
Snowflake’s increased investment in the Korean market was highlighted by the opening of its first official office in Seoul’s Gangnam district earlier this month, six years after initially entering the country. The company has secured approximately 80% of South Korea’s top ten conglomerates as clients, and has seen usage of its platform scale more than ninefold over the past four years, according to the company. The new office, capable of accommodating 150 employees, is intended to expand customer education and technical support.
Following the formal sessions, industry leaders engaged in networking and discussions centered on maintaining data sovereignty within the evolving AI ecosystem. The event reflects a broader trend of accelerating digital transformation within South Korean companies, driven by data-driven decision-making and AI agentic technology.
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