Science Minister Seeks to Turn Korea Into a Global AI Powerhouse

Until he was named South Korea’s new science minister in July, Bae Kyung-Hoon was largely unknown in political circles, having spent his career focused on computer science.Author of the article:You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.(Bloomberg) — Until he was named South Korea’s new science minister in July, Bae Kyung-Hoon was largely unknown in political circles, having spent his career focused on computer science. Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Now, the surprise pick by President Lee Jae Myung is charged with an ambitious agenda: transforming the country into a global AI superpower. Specifically, Lee wants Bae to help secure the country’s spot among the world’s top three AI powers. With the US and China now locked in a race for dominance, Bae thinks it’s possible for Seoul to chart its own course. “There are several countries vying to be No. 3, but we don’t see ourselves as just another contender in that pack,” Bae, Science and ICT Minister, said in an interview with Bloomberg News. “We believe we have a real shot at becoming a serious global player — one capable of challenging the top two.”Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againInterested in more newsletters? Browse here.The Lee administration is counting on AI to help reboot economic growth after months of political turmoil under former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted following a botched attempt to impose martial law. Its decision to more than triple its AI spending to 10.1 trillion won ($6.9 billion) next year also comes as Korea’s traditional growth engines in manufacturing and exports, such as semiconductors and autos, are facing intensifying competition from China.Since taking the job, Bae has moved quickly. Working with senior presidential secretary for AI Ha Jung-Woo, Bae agreed with BlackRock Inc.

Chief Executive Officer Larry Fink to jointly invest in renewable energy-powered, large-scale data centers in Korea. The government also struck a deal with Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang to purchase 50,000 of the company’s sought-after accelerator chips for the use of AI computing. It was part of more than 260,000 of its graphics processing units Nvidia agreed to supply to the ministry and Korea’s leading companies including Samsung Electronics Co. Huang said the deal would help make Korea one of the leading nations in AI infrastructure. “Korea has a great chance to be a regional AI hub and one of the largest AI hubs in the world,” he told reporters after the move was announced in October.Bae, whose mandate was expanded in October when he was also named deputy prime minister, hadn’t planned on working in government. In fact, he said, he thought he was being pranked when he first received a call about the job. The 49-year-old earned a doctorate in computer vision from Seoul’s Kwangwoon University and spent years at affiliates of Samsung, SK and LG before becoming the inaugural head of LG AI Research in 2020. At LG’s research arm, he led the development of the group’s large language model, Exaone — an initiative he proposed and won backing for from LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo. Exaone 4.0, the newest version of that model, was highlighted in Microsoft Corp.’s 2025 AI Diffusion Report as Korea’s leading frontier model, just 5.9 months behind OpenAI’s GPT-5. Bae said one reason the research arm was so successful was that he replaced the organization’s rigid hierarchy and compensation with more merit-based systems, allowing it to attract and retain top engineering talent.Despite his early reservations, Bae accepted the role after realizing that he could have a far greater impact by pushing for policies such as securing GPUs at scale for South Korean researchers and tech companies. Since his appointment, the ministry has launched a national project to select Korea’s foundational AI models. Five teams — led by Naver Cloud, Upstage, SK Telecom Co., NC AI and LG AI Research — were chosen in August to compete to come up with the best model. Under the program, one team will be eliminated roughly every six months until two finalists remain. “We don’t have the capital or talent pools of the US or China,” Bae said. “The idea is to concentrate resources through competition.”In October, he also signed a three-party agreement with Nvidia and Hyundai Motor Co. to jointly develop physical AI, in which the technology is used for robotics and autonomous vehicles. The following month, he announced a plan to attract around 2,000 top engineers and researchers from overseas in key fields including AI by 2030.Bae said the current investment in AI infrastructure will lay the groundwork for physical AI. This, he said, will be as critical for Korea’s economy as the internet was decades ago.“There’s a real sense of urgency that if we don’t get this right, our economy could be put at risk,” he said. Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.