Memorandum of Understanding with JoCoding AX Partners

Targeted at lifestyle brands and digital merchants

Kim Dohyeon, Director of the Platform SME Research Center at Kookmin University (left), and Jo Dong-geun, CEO of Jo Coding AX Partners, pose for a commemorative photo. [Kookmin University Platform SME Research Center]

Kookmin University’s Platform SME Research Center announced on the 13th that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with JoCoding AX Partners Co., Ltd. on the 10th to help Digital SMEs (D-SMEs) and lifestyle brands strengthen their capabilities in utilizing generative AI and achieve growth through AI Transformation (AX).

This agreement aims to foster a startup ecosystem where digital SMEs can evolve into brand startups by leveraging JoCoding AX Partners’ expertise in generative AI training and consulting. Key provisions of the MOU include the joint development of generative AI training content and the joint operation of online and offline training programs; the joint provision of business consulting and hands-on mentoring tailored to the needs of digital SMEs; and the joint hosting of generative AI training sessions, seminars, forums, and results-sharing events. The two organizations will launch a generative AI training course for members of the Digital Small and Medium Enterprise Association this August, with participant recruitment beginning in late July.

The Research Center is a specialized research institution established to support the growth of digital small and medium enterprises (D-SMEs) and digital commerce-based lifestyle brands, and to foster a healthy platform ecosystem. Its main activities include research, education, and external projects. The Research Center collaborates with the Digital SME Federation—a community representing approximately 1.7 million digital SMEs operating on digital platforms—to connect these businesses with opportunities in AX, investment, and global expansion, thereby supporting a “J-curve” growth path that enables them to evolve from brand startups into global lifestyle brands.

Kim Dohyeon, Director of the Platform SME Research Center at Kookmin University, stated, “Generative AI is becoming a crucial growth tool that goes beyond simply improving the operational efficiency of digital merchants to creating new business opportunities,” adding, “Through this agreement, we will develop practical training and support programs that meet the on-the-ground needs of digital merchants.”

Cho Dong-geun, CEO of JoCoding AX Partners, remarked, “With generative AI, knowing how to apply it to one’s own business is more important than simply understanding the technology itself.” He added, “Based on the educational and practical experience JoCoding AX Partners has accumulated, we will actively collaborate to help digital merchants translate AI into tangible results.”