a day ago
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."
