South Korea prepares for AGI era and next-generation network investment

The South Korean government is expanding its policy focus to address the era of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). During the second Science, Technology, and AI Future Strategy Meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon emphasized that AGI will necessitate a paradigm shift across society, including labor, welfare, and education, rather than just impacting specific industries.

Key discussions centered on the ‘token economy,’ where experts proposed frameworks for distributing costs, responsibilities, and benefits among data contributors, corporations, and the state. Additionally, experts addressed the need to protect youth employment and reform medical and educational systems as AI integration accelerates. To maintain technological competitiveness, there is a push to secure top-tier AI models through increased investment in data and post-training resources.

Parallel to these societal shifts, the government and major telecommunications providers—SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus—have launched a public-private consultative body to promote network investment. This initiative aims to facilitate the transition to next-generation technologies, including 5G Standalone (SA), AI-RAN, and 6G, while addressing regulatory and tax hurdles. The group plans to release a comprehensive plan for next-generation network investment and regulatory improvement by the end of the year.