Seoul, March 12 (AHN) South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok is set to depart for the United States on Thursday to promote South Korea's bid to host a UN hub and meet with senior US officials, possibly including Vice President JD Vance.

Kim's weeklong trip, which will also take him to Geneva, Switzerland, comes as the government is bidding to host the tentatively named "UN AI hub," an initiative aimed at bringing together UN bodies, and South Korea's private and public sectors to produce AI-based solutions to global issues.

A meeting with Vance is being arranged for his stop in Washington, sources said, which he could use to discuss tariffs and other bilateral issues, including a bill supporting South Korea's US$350 billion investment commitment to the US.

The bill is set to be passed by the National Assembly later Thursday.

Kim and Vance previously met in January, also in Washington.

From the US capital, the prime minister will travel to New York, where he plans to visit the UN, UNICEF and the United Nations Development Programme to meet with heads of organizations, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, to discuss the AI hub plan.

In Geneva, he plans to visit the World Health Organization, the International Labor Organization and the International Organization for Migration, for similar discussions.

The prime minister was this week named head of the UN AI hub bid committee, Yonhap news agency reported.

Notably, Prime Minister Kim may also explain the ‘Special Act on Strategic Investment Management between South Korea and the United States’ (Special Act on Investment in the United States) to Vice President Vance. The bill, which is set to pass the National Assembly through a bipartisan agreement today, is expected to be a key topic of discussion.

Later, Prime Minister Kim will hold consultations with the United Nations, UNICEF, and UNDP in New York regarding the ‘AI Hub.’ The UN AI Hub is a global platform designed to foster collaboration among UN specialised agencies and departments on AI-related functions. It is a newly proposed initiative by the South Korean government.