President Lee Jae Myung (left) and International Labor Organization Director-General Gilbert Houngbo shake hands at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Friday. (Yonhap) President Lee Jae Myung and International Labor Organization Director-General Gilbert Houngbo held talks at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Friday to discuss the ILO's participation in South Korea's global artificial intelligence hub initiative.During the talks, Lee welcomed the ILO's decision to join Seoul's initiative and expressed his anticipation for the ILO's role in addressing the global trend of AI taking over human jobs.Lee also expressed his appreciation for the ILO's role in improving labor conditions, adding that the organization has "greatly influenced" South Korean labor unions' movements over the past decades.The ILO is one of the many United Nations bodies — such as the International Organization for Migration, the International Telecommunication Union and the United Nations Development Program — that joined the Seoul-led initiative announced Thursday. President Lee Jae Myung and International Labor Organization Director-General Gilbert Houngbo hold talks at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Friday. (Yonhap) Houngbo, who last visited South Korea in 2019, congratulated the country on its launch of the AI hub.He said the ILO will use the AI hub in labor-related policies and administrations, adding he was impressed by Seoul's swift progress and the government's strong commitment to the initiative.Houngbo also thanked Lee for South Korea's contribution to ILO projects, adding South Korea is one of the top 10 contributors to the UN organization.The meeting followed Prime Minister Kim Min-seok's announcement Thursday that South Korea would launch the global AI hub. The initiative, together with the strength of the international community, seeks to combat escalating inequality in access to AI technology; global humanitarian crises such as food security, climate change and diseases; and concerns linked to AI in the workplace as more are replaced by the technology.Kim met UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo on Thursday and expressed views that UNDP's participation in Seoul's AI hub initiative has opened a new chapter of cooperation between South Korea and the UNDP.