Ruling bloc ramps up AI drive
At a policy consultation meeting held at the National Assembly in Seoul, the government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea shared a comprehensive blueprint to support AI innovation through budgetary, legislative and regulatory means, aiming to transform the sector into a core driver of economic growth.
Rep. Kim Byung-kee, floor leader of the Democratic Party, said AI is the only viable path forward to reverse demographic decline and economic stagnation, reaffirming the party's support for President Lee's vision.
"AI is no longer a matter of choice but a necessity. The Democratic Party will ensure full support through legislation and funding so that Korea can achieve 3 percent potential growth and rank among the world's top five economies," Kim said.
Attendees at Wednesday's meeting included Rep. Han Jeoung-ae, chair of the Democratic Party's policy committee, and Reps. Huh Young, An Ho-young and Choi Min-hee of the Democratic Party. Participants from the government side included Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol and Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, along with ranking officials from the ministries of industry, SMEs, and labor.
Bae described the three core strategies for AI leadership as establishing nationwide AI infrastructure, domestically developing next-generation technologies such as neural processing units and artificial general intelligence, and expanding the talent pool.
Bae said that the government aims to secure over 50,000 high-performance graphics processing units by 2030 and develop Korea's own foundation AI models to promote an open-source ecosystem.
"AI will be the foundation not only for revitalizing traditional sectors like manufacturing, agriculture and biotech, but also for fundamentally transforming public services," Bae said.
He added that to further accelerate innovation, the government will push to scrap preliminary feasibility studies for science and tech R&D projects and gradually phase out the Project-Based System, a structure linking research funding to specific project outcomes and has often been criticized for limiting flexibility and autonomy in state-funded research.
In a corresponding move, the ruling party vowed to step up legislative efforts.
Han said the party will consider proposing bills to expand access to public data and support flagship projects in emerging sectors through packages of fiscal, tax, financial and human resource measures. A new party task force on AI-led growth will also be formed within the party to coordinate with the government on legislative matters.
Han added that the party is reviewing ways to rationalize outdated regulations and reduce excessive economic criminal penalties, in line with global standards.
"New technologies like generative and physical AI will fundamentally reshape how industries and governments operate," Han said. "We need to lead this transition now, and the Democratic Party is ready to do its part."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
10 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Bill seeks to open S. Korean barracks to female enlisted soldiers as troop numbers shrink
By 2045, S. Korea's pool of eligible male conscripts could shrink to just 100,000 per year, lawmaker warns, underscoring the need to tap female service A South Korean lawmaker has proposed a new legislative bill that would require the military to begin accepting women as rank-and-file soldiers, as the country faces a growing shortage of military personnel due to persistently low birth rates. Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the People Power Party, who drafted and submitted the bill to the National Assembly on Tuesday, said opening barracks to women is essential to protecting national security. North Korea is estimated to have around 1 million active-duty troops. Latest figures show South Korea's active-duty force has shrunk to 450,000 as of July 2025. Current law technically permits women to volunteer, but in practice, they are only recruited as officers or non-commissioned officers. Rep. Kim's bill would require military authorities to accept applicants regardless of gender and to report annually to parliament on the experiences and challenges of female soldiers. The opposition lawmaker pointed to demographic projections that the number of male conscript candidates could fall to just 100,000 per year within two decades. She said in a statement that 'a drastic measure is needed to ensure national security' and emphasized the need to widen opportunities for voluntary female service so the armed forces can draw from the broadest pool of talent. The scale of the problem is already visible. Data obtained by Rep. Choo Mi-ae's office from the Defense Ministry and the Military Manpower Administration shows that South Korea's active-duty force has shrunk from 560,000 in 2019 to 450,000 in July this year. The threshold of 500,000 troops, often described as the minimum needed under the armistice with North Korea, was breached two years ago, and troop strength is now about 50,000 below that mark. The army has absorbed the steepest decline, dropping from 300,000 enlisted soldiers to 200,000 in six years. The South Korean government has already loosened health and fitness standards to expand eligibility, lifting the acceptance rate for active-duty service from 69.8 percent in 2019 to 86.7 percent this year.
Korea Herald
16 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Ruling bloc ramps up AI drive
South Korea's ruling bloc on Wednesday outlined plans to boost the country's artificial intelligence industry, speeding up political efforts to deliver on President Lee Jae Myung's campaign pledge to make Korea one of the top three AI powerhouses. At a policy consultation meeting held at the National Assembly in Seoul, the government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea shared a comprehensive blueprint to support AI innovation through budgetary, legislative and regulatory means, aiming to transform the sector into a core driver of economic growth. Rep. Kim Byung-kee, floor leader of the Democratic Party, said AI is the only viable path forward to reverse demographic decline and economic stagnation, reaffirming the party's support for President Lee's vision. "AI is no longer a matter of choice but a necessity. The Democratic Party will ensure full support through legislation and funding so that Korea can achieve 3 percent potential growth and rank among the world's top five economies," Kim said. Attendees at Wednesday's meeting included Rep. Han Jeoung-ae, chair of the Democratic Party's policy committee, and Reps. Huh Young, An Ho-young and Choi Min-hee of the Democratic Party. Participants from the government side included Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol and Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, along with ranking officials from the ministries of industry, SMEs, and labor. Bae described the three core strategies for AI leadership as establishing nationwide AI infrastructure, domestically developing next-generation technologies such as neural processing units and artificial general intelligence, and expanding the talent pool. Bae said that the government aims to secure over 50,000 high-performance graphics processing units by 2030 and develop Korea's own foundation AI models to promote an open-source ecosystem. "AI will be the foundation not only for revitalizing traditional sectors like manufacturing, agriculture and biotech, but also for fundamentally transforming public services," Bae said. He added that to further accelerate innovation, the government will push to scrap preliminary feasibility studies for science and tech R&D projects and gradually phase out the Project-Based System, a structure linking research funding to specific project outcomes and has often been criticized for limiting flexibility and autonomy in state-funded research. In a corresponding move, the ruling party vowed to step up legislative efforts. Han said the party will consider proposing bills to expand access to public data and support flagship projects in emerging sectors through packages of fiscal, tax, financial and human resource measures. A new party task force on AI-led growth will also be formed within the party to coordinate with the government on legislative matters. Han added that the party is reviewing ways to rationalize outdated regulations and reduce excessive economic criminal penalties, in line with global standards. "New technologies like generative and physical AI will fundamentally reshape how industries and governments operate," Han said. "We need to lead this transition now, and the Democratic Party is ready to do its part."
Korea Herald
18 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Bill seeks to open South Korean barracks to female soldiers as troop numbers shrink
By 2045, S. Korea's pool of eligible male conscripts could shrink to just 100,000 per year, lawmaker warns, underscoring the need to tap female service A South Korean lawmaker has proposed a legislative bill that would allow women to enlist as rank-and-file soldiers, as the country faces a growing shortage of military personnel due to persistently low birth rates. Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the People Power Party, who drafted and submitted the bill to the National Assembly on Tuesday, said opening barracks to women is essential to protecting national security. North Korea is estimated to have around 1 million active-duty troops. Latest figures show South Korea's active-duty force has shrunk to 450,000 as of July 2025. Current law technically permits women to volunteer, but in practice, they are only recruited as officers or non-commissioned officers. Rep. Kim's bill would require military authorities to accept applicants regardless of gender and to report annually to parliament on the experiences and challenges of female soldiers. The opposition lawmaker pointed to demographic projections that the number of male conscript candidates could fall to just 100,000 per year within two decades. She said in a statement that 'a drastic measure is needed to ensure national security' and emphasized the need to widen opportunities for voluntary female service so the armed forces can draw from the broadest pool of talent. The scale of the problem is already visible. Data obtained by Rep. Choo Mi-ae's office from the Defense Ministry and the Military Manpower Administration shows that South Korea's active-duty force has shrunk from 560,000 in 2019 to 450,000 in July this year. The threshold of 500,000 troops, often described as the minimum needed under the armistice with North Korea, was breached two years ago, and troop strength is now about 50,000 below that mark. The army has absorbed the steepest decline, dropping from 300,000 enlisted soldiers to 200,000 in six years. The South Korean government has already loosened health and fitness standards to expand eligibility, lifting the acceptance rate for active-duty service from 69.8 percent in 2019 to 86.7 percent this year.
