In order for South Korea to leap into the global artificial intelligence (AI) top three (G3) countries, comprehensive policy support is needed within the golden time of the next 3 to 4 years.
The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry published on the 6th a proposal containing 10 policy tasks calling for policy support in the three key input elements (energy, data, and talent) and three value chains (infrastructure, models, and AI transformation) to leap to an AI G3 nation.
The organization expressed concern, saying, "South Korea has high potential in AI, as it has the capacity to develop in fields such as semiconductors, energy, and models, but the scale of investment is significantly lower than that of major countries, which could lead to falling behind in the global AI supremacy competition."
It continued, saying, "South Korea was able to rise as an information technology (IT) powerhouse because it concentrated national resources on the IT sector for 3 to 4 years after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) crisis, and AI investment needs to use this as a lesson." Furthermore, it emphasized, "The next 3 to 4 years are a golden time for our country to leap into an AI G3 nation, so national capabilities must be concentrated in the AI sector."
The organization called for the establishment of an "AI computing access fund" to stimulate initial demand for the activation of AI data centers (AIDC) and ordered the introduction of a "permit timeout system" to simplify administrative procedures necessary for AIDC construction. It also identified the development of a Korean version of a large language model (LLM) as an urgent task and suggested that domestic corporations should join their data and technical capabilities to create a cooperative framework.
It argued that creating successful AI cases in the manufacturing sector is important and that there is a need to form patient capital to alleviate the burden of large-scale, high-risk investments. The organization stated, "For the AI ecosystem to operate smoothly, it is important for the input elements such as energy, data, and talent to be supplied efficiently," adding, "As the private sector cannot bear this alone, the government's role is very crucial."
To build a stable supply base for large-scale electricity, it called for the relaxation of restrictions on the electricity transactions of self-generation plants, deferral of power system impact assessments, and regulations related to power supply such as timeout systems. It also suggested that the government expand the K-data public hub project to enhance high-quality data infrastructure and foster the data industry in order to expand the utilization rights of AI.
Regarding securing AI talent, it proposed creating AI special zones with AI infrastructure and living conditions in place to enhance the attractiveness of the domestic AI market and research community, alongside special visa preferential policies for AI talent in parallel with domestic talent training measures.
Kang Seok-goo, head of the research department of the organization, noted, "For the AI ecosystem to sustain continuous innovation, it must circulate positively based on market functions, but there are obstacles to building an ecosystem that cannot be solved by market functions alone." He expressed hope that the government would strive for comprehensive policy support, such as infrastructure investment and AI demand creation, to drive this positive cycle.