Korea Mobilizes National Resources 

to Become a Global AI Leader

- At the 3rd National Artificial Intelligence Committee Meeting, chaired by Acting President Choi Sang-mok, government and industry leaders discussed global AI trends and strategies to accelerate AI ecosystem innovation.

▶ (AI Models) A "National AI Team" will be launched to develop world-class AI models, with extensive support for data, GPUs, and research funding.

▶ (AI Talent) The "Global AI Challenge" will be introduced to foster top AI talent, and the Global AI Frontier Labs will expand from the U.S. to Europe and beyond.

▶ (Computing Infrastructure) 18,000 high-performance GPUs will be secured by the first half of 2026; tax incentives and regulatory reforms for land and power supply will be implemented to attract private investment.

▶ (Data & AI Training) The utilization of high-demand unstructured raw data and public data will be expanded; high-quality manufacturing and industrial datasets will be significantly increased.

▶ (Startups & AI Adoption) Five AI unicorns will be nurtured by 2027; AI adoption will be increased to 50% as a mid-term goal; KRW 5.7 trillion in policy finance will be allocated by 2025; and sector-specific AI projects will be promoted.

The National Artificial Intelligence Committee (Chair: Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Economy and Finance, Choi Sang-mok, hereinafter referred to as "the Committee") convened its 3rd meeting on Thursday, February 20, at 10:00 AM at the National Artificial Intelligence Committee conference room (16th floor, Seoul Square).

Since its establishment in last September as a public-private AI policy control tower, the Committee has operated five subcommittees to develop AI policy initiatives in collaboration with the public and private sectors. The 3rd meeting was convened to assess the rapidly changing global AI landscape and accelerate government-wide policies in order to achieve “Leap to Global Top 3 in AI”.

Major global economies, including the U.S., the European Union, and France, have announced massive AI investment plans worth hundreds of trillions of KRW, intensifying the race for AI dominance. Additionally, China’s AI startup DeepSeek, backed by elite AI talent, has demonstrated its potential to disrupt the traditional AI landscape dominated by major IT corporations through innovations in software and algorithmic computation. This has further accelerated global AI competition and investment.

The 3rd AI Committee meeting, presided over by Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, gathered over 40 participants, including government officials, private sector representatives and experts from Naver, MOREH and Liner. The meeting commenced with presentations from private sector experts, followed by reports from relevant ministries and in-depth discussions.

In his opening remarks, Acting President Choi Sang-mok stated:

"AI’s rapid evolution presents both challenges and opportunities. Now is the time for the public and private sectors to unite and elevate Korea’s AI capabilities to global top-tier status. The government will provide comprehensive support to accelerate the development of world-class AI models, cultivate top AI talent, and attract leading global AI experts."

He further emphasized:

"We will expand AI computing resources and data infrastructure while fostering AI startups and market growth, ensuring that Korea takes the lead in AI adoption and industrialization."

During the private sector expert presentation, Choi Soo-yeon, CEO of Naver, delivered a speech titled "The Global AI Landscape and Korea’s Strategic Response." She introduced the AI policies of the Trump administration and the development of AI by China’s DeepSeek, explaining their implications for Korea’s industry. She emphasized the need for government investment in AI infrastructure and support for AI adoption across industries to advance private sector-driven foundational AI technologies.

Following this, government ministries presented three agenda items. The Ministry of Science and ICT introduced a plan titled "Enhancing National AI Capabilities through Expansion of AI Computing Infrastructure." The Ministry of SMEs and Startups presented "Expanding AI Utilization through AI Startup Growth." Finally, the Personal Information Protection Commission reported on " Expanding AI Data Resources and Access."

The key details of the agenda items are as follows:

As global AI competition intensifies, particularly among countries such as the United States and China, Korea is taking decisive steps to significantly enhance its AI competitiveness. To this end, efforts will be concentrated on developing world-class AI models and cultivating top-tier AI talent, while also expanding AI computing resources and data infrastructure. Additionally, the government aims to accelerate the full-scale industrialization of AI and drive the nationwide adoption of AI technologies.

First, the government will establish a "National AI Team" to lead the development of top-tier large language models (LLMs). As part of this initiative, the "World’s Best LLM Project" (tentative name) will be launched, providing extensive research funding to attract leading AI experts from around the world.

AI models developed through this project will be deployed across both public and private sectors, while an open innovation framework will be introduced to foster collaboration among AI researchers. To further secure long-term AI competitiveness, the government will invest KRW 1 trillion in core technologies for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), with a preliminary feasibility study already underway.

Second, to cultivate and secure top-tier AI talent, the "Global AI Challenge" will be launched—an international competition designed to tackle grand AI challenges. Additionally, the Global AI Frontier Lab*, first established in the United States last year, will be expanded to Europe and other key regions.

To support emerging AI researchers, the government will introduce specialized funding programs. Furthermore, industry-academia AI conversion (AX) graduate schools will be set up to train AI professionals aligned with corporate needs, alongside strengthened innovation-driven AI education, including Innovation Academies.

* The Global AI Frontier Lab is a collaborative research platform that brings together top AI researchers from Korea and abroad, currently in partnership with New York University.

Third, to meet the surging demand for AI computing power, the government will secure 18,000 high-performance GPUs by the first half of 2026 for the National AI Computing Center and the Sixth Supercomputer.* To further encourage private investment in AI data centers, tax incentives** and regulatory improvements related to power supply*** and land use**** will be implemented. Through the National AI Computing Center, domestic AI semiconductors and AI models will be jointly tested and validated, with additional support provided to strengthen AI semiconductor hardware and software technologies.

* A total of 10,000 GPUs will be secured by the end of this year, primarily for the National AI Computing Center, while the Sixth Supercomputer, equipped with 8,000 GPUs, is set to launch by the first half of 2026.

** AI will be designated as a "National Strategic Technology" under the Act on Restriction on Special Cases concerning Taxation, enhancing tax incentives for advanced AI R&D and AI-based investments.

*** Preferential treatment in power system impact assessments will be considered for AI data centers located outside the Seoul metropolitan area (e.g., preferential scoring in policy-based evaluation criteria).

**** Regulatory reforms will allow AI data centers to be established in port hinterlands and airport support facilities, while minimizing requirements for elevators and public art installations.

Fourth, the government will expand access to high-quality AI training datasets from both public and private sources while promoting greater data openness. The use of unstructured raw data, previously limited to autonomous driving applications, will be broadened to encompass other socially and industrially significant fields.

To ensure stable and long-term access to critical data for AI research, special provisions will be introduced to allow researchers to utilize personal data for extended periods under specific conditions. Additionally, legal frameworks will be strengthened to facilitate the use of personal data in AI initiatives for the public good, such as crime prevention.*

Investments in synthetic data will also be made for sensitive sectors such as healthcare and defense, alongside the development of domain-specific AI datasets in fields such as media, manufacturing, and finance. Furthermore, high-demand unstructured and synthetic data from public sources will be designated as national priority datasets.

To further facilitate public sector data utilization, internal systems for pseudonymized data processing** will be enhanced, and key performance indicators for pseudonymized data sharing will be integrated into public institution management evaluations***.

* (Current) Regulatory exemptions allow the use of personal data for AI R&D for up to four years → (Future) The permitted duration will be extended to match the actual research needs.

** A Regulation on the Internal Operation of Pseudonymized Data in Public Institutions (tentative name) will be established.

*** Performance in data-sharing initiatives will be reflected in public institution assessments, including the Public Institution Management Evaluation and the Public Data Utilization and Data-Driven Administration Evaluation.

Fifth, the government will implement AI leadership projects to accelerate the early expansion of innovative AI services developed by Korean companies in both domestic and global markets, driving demand creation and strengthening competitiveness. These efforts will target high-impact sectors, such as healthcare, law, media, and public safety, with cross-ministerial collaboration driving the development of generative AI-based services.

Additionally, public-private innovation programs* will be leveraged to foster collaboration between large corporations and startups in solving industry-specific challenges through AI. Successful AI adoption cases from the autonomous manufacturing sector** will also be expanded through the establishment of smart factories.

* Public-private innovation programs, including the Open Innovation project and Deep Tech Value-Up programs, will be utilized to support these initiatives.

** The number of autonomous manufacturing pilot projects will be increased from 26 in 2024 to 200 by 2027.

Sixth, efforts to strengthen AI supply capabilities will focus on fostering the growth of AI startups. This includes supporting collaborative AI model development among enterprises and nurturing AI service startups in key sectors such as manufacturing and finance.

Additionally, 100 AI-driven manufacturing companies will be designated for targeted support, receiving financial aid*, workforce development assistance, and expanded market access opportunities. Selected companies will be eligible for up to KRW 10 billion in funding through loans and credit guarantees.

In 2025, KRW 5.7 trillion in policy finance will be allocated to AI and semiconductor startups, accounting for 60% of the Liquidity Support Scheme for SMEs, which totals KRW 9.8 trillion**. By 2027, a KRW 3 trillion AI investment fund*** will be established in collaboration with the private sector to expand financing for AI start

* Financial aid includes loans of up to KRW 10 billion per company (KRW 466.6 billion allocated for 2025) and credit guarantees, such as Smart Manufacturing Service Guarantees (up to KRW 10 billion per facility).

** Technology-based credit guarantees will provide KRW 5.5 trillion through the Korea Technology Finance Corporation (KOTEC), while SME policy financing will provide KRW 4.3 trillion through the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME).

*** The KRW 3 trillion AI investment fund will consist of multiple sub-funds, including Startup Korea Fund (KRW 2 trillion), Global AI Fund (KRW 200 billion), AI Innovation Fund (KRW 90 billion), KIF Sub-Fund (KRW 200 billion), AI Korea Fund (KRW 500 billion), AI-Based New Industry Fund (KRW 140 billion).

During the subsequent discussion, participants engaged in in-depth deliberations on key initiatives to strengthen national AI competitiveness. The discussion covered the following topics:

 Advancing AI model development and computational algorithms, along with strategies for leveraging open AI ecosystems

 Cultivating top AI talent and fostering AI startups to drive industry leadership

 Establishing large-scale AI computing infrastructure and accelerating domestic AI semiconductor development

 Addressing regulatory challenges related to copyright and personal data protection

 Promoting AI adoption across both industrial and public sectors

Looking ahead, the government will focus on reinforcing the Committee’s role as the central governing body to coordinate AI policies across ministries and drive the swift implementation of AI strategies. It will also continue to closely monitor global AI trends and actively collaborate with the private sector to identify and address industry challenges in a timely manner.

For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT. 

Please refer to the attached PDF.