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[Kyunghyang Shinmun] Korean SMEs Compete with “AI and Affordability”

On July 21 (local time), at the Korea Pavilion of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) 2025 in Malaysia, the booth of Korean SME Augmented Knowledge Corporation drew attention. When visitors wore a mixed reality (MR) headset resembling goggles, a 3D image of the landing gear of a Boeing 737 appeared before their eyes. Instructions on how to open the brake section of the landing gear were displayed on the screen, and the same content was read aloud. When the user said “Next page,” the display advanced to the next step.

The Korea Pavilion at the event was organized by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), who brought together a group of mid-sized and small defense firms. Their leadership in establishing the pavilion is seen as a signal to international buyers that the Korean government stands behind its SMEs as a strong partner.

When Augmented Knowledge Corporation, an SME utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), demonstrated their technology to visitors wearing MR headsets, large crowds quickly gathered. A company representative explained, “We’ve trained an AI model on hundreds of thousands of pages of aircraft maintenance manuals, then rendered the procedures in virtual 3D.” The representative added, “According to aviation safety law, maintenance tasks must strictly follow the manual. Our virtual display and voice-guided system help improve operational efficiency by enabling technicians to follow instructions step by step.”

CEO Keun-Sik Cho of Augmented Knowledge further noted, “This technology can even be used for actual aircraft repairs,” and emphasized that “work time can be reduced by half.”

The system is already in use at several Korean aviation science high schools. Under Korean aviation law, aircraft maintenance training institutions are required to own at least three real aircraft, but the company’s solution was granted a regulatory exemption through the government's regulatory sandbox program in 2021.

CEO Cho added, “We are currently preparing for a collaboration with GE Aerospace, a major U.S. aircraft engine manufacturer,” and expressed ambitions to expand into the aviation education and MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) markets in Malaysia and across Southeast Asia.

23 Jul 2025 · Augmented Know