Meeting with Korea's Top AI Experts to Discuss Competitiveness Enhancement
Oh Se-hoon: "AI Will Determine the Future of Korea"
"South Korea Feels Small Amid the US-China Hegemony War"
AI Vision Announcement Forthcoming, Emphasizing Talent Development Once Again
On the 5th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon stated, "The future fate of the Republic of Korea depends on AI (artificial intelligence)" and added, "Our future will be determined by AI." He promised bold support to revitalize the AI industry and also announced plans to unveil an AI vision. Experts emphasized the importance of securing talent, investment, and infrastructure.
On the same day, Mayor Oh held an 'AI Industry Development Strategy Advisory Meeting' with AI experts at Seoul City Hall to discuss policies and strategies that Seoul must establish to lead the AI industry. Attendees included Kim Ki-eung, Director of the National AI Research Hub Center; Choi Jae-boong, Professor at Sungkyunkwan University; Jang Byung-tak, Professor at Seoul National University; Jung Song, KAIST Chair Professor; as well as industry figures such as Ji Ki-sung, President of Google Cloud Korea; Bae Soon-min, Executive Director of KT AI Lab; and Ha Jung-woo, Head of Naver Cloud Center.
On the morning of the 5th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon held an 'AI Industry Development Strategy Advisory Meeting' with AI experts at Seoul City Hall. Photo by Seoul City Hall
At the meeting, Mayor Oh referred to the Chinese AI startup 'DeepSeek,' which recently caused a seismic shift in the global AI market, saying, "The shock brought by DeepSeek is shaking the global AI landscape. It is exciting but also a very tense moment as we consider how to implement the insights it provides." Regarding the U.S. response to DeepSeek's emergence, he said, "After the Trump administration announced the Stargate plan to invest about $500 billion, we thought the U.S. had taken the initiative, but DeepSeek launched guerrilla warfare-like attacks with a small elite force, catching them off guard." He added, "The big tech companies in the U.S. are clearly flustered."
He also analyzed, "As the AI hegemony war between the U.S. and China intensifies, South Korea feels very small." In response, Mayor Oh emphasized, "To compete with AI, we must secure sufficient human resources and properly process data to make it useful."
To this end, Seoul City promised various supports. Mayor Oh said, "We will do our best to help AI companies secure investments so they can make bold investments and strategies through funding. At the same time, we will work hard to develop plans to bring in talent." He particularly stressed nurturing talent to revitalize the AI industry. Reiterating the plan to train 10,000 AI talents annually, he expressed confidence that Seoul's 'Youth Employment Academy' and the 'University Campus Town Project' linked with universities in Seoul could cultivate 4,000 and 6,000 talents each year, respectively.
Earlier, on the 2nd, Mayor Oh stated that all capabilities should be focused on AI innovation, including talent development, regardless of political party, in response to DeepSeek's emergence. Given concerns about declining external trust after the martial law incident, he emphasized the need for extraordinary economic measures amid political turmoil. Last year, Seoul City became the first local government nationwide to announce the 'Seoul AI Administration Promotion Plan,' integrating AI technology into administration, with a total investment of 206.4 billion won over three years.
'Securing Talent' as the Top Priority... Investment and Infrastructure Also Important
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is taking a commemorative photo with experts attending the 'AI Industry Promotion Strategy Advisory Meeting' on the morning of the 5th. Photo by Seoul City
Kim Ki-eung, Director of the National AI Research Hub Center, gave a presentation titled 'China-led AI Innovation, DeepSeek: Changes and Response Directions in the Global AI Market' at the meeting. Kim said, "DeepSeek represents the Sputnik moment for the U.S.-led AI industry," adding, "Seoul City's AI industry development strategy aligns with the three pillars proposed during the 1957 Sputnik shock: funding for research and development, talent cultivation, and a control tower." He also emphasized that adding private sector participation to public-led research and development is essential to enhance efficiency and competitiveness.
Experts identified 'securing talent' as the top priority for fostering the AI industry. Jang Byung-tak, Professor at Seoul National University, said, "Seoul already has the potential and infrastructure to become a global AI industry hub. With active investment and rewards to attract good talent, a virtuous cycle among technology, talent, and investment will occur, leading to surprises for the world."
Ha Jung-woo, Head of Naver Cloud Center, suggested, "For example, Seoul City conducting a project to develop AI models called 'AI Young Scientists' to support the convenient and safe lives of Seoul citizens could be another way to secure excellent talent in Seoul."
Having confirmed new possibilities in the AI field through DeepSeek, the importance of focused investment and infrastructure development was also highlighted. Ji Ki-sung, President of Google Cloud Korea, said, "Taking Seoul City as an example, we should focus investments on applied technologies that directly help and impact citizens, such as robots assisting the elderly and disabled in civil service offices, to improve administrative efficiency and productivity through AI."
After hearing expert opinions, Mayor Oh said, "The emergence of DeepSeek has opened a 'door of opportunity' showing that we can do it too, while providing hints and opportunities for a paradigm shift in Seoul City's AI development." He added, "We will fully reflect the expert opinions proposed today and quickly prepare an AI industry development strategy and vision that can give hope to the people of the Republic of Korea."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
