South Korea pushes frontier AI model development to guard against US and China reliance

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Gyeong‑hoon warned that without a domestically built frontier‑level AI model South Korea could become dependent on the United States or China. He said the government is planning to acquire 10,000 Nvidia Vera‑Rubin AI computing chips, estimating a cost of about 3.5 trillion won, to support a "two‑track" strategy that includes developing an independent foundation model capable of competing with the world’s leading systems.

Labour Minister Kim Young‑hoon, marking his first year in office, called for a new institutional framework called the "K‑Labor Council" to protect platform workers and freelancers in the AI era. The proposal envisions a self‑organized body that would deliver welfare, career recognition, small‑loan services and retirement benefits, aiming to adapt social protection to the changing nature of work driven by generative AI.

Both officials highlighted that AI advancement requires not only technological investment but also reforms to social and labour systems to ensure national competitiveness and worker security.