"Possible Korean DeepSeek with GPU Secured through Public-Private Investment"

Seven Experts Including Ha Jungwoo, Head of Naver Cloud Center
Emphasize the Need for Increased Budget and Improvement of Related Laws and Systems

Experts are increasingly arguing that the development of a 'Korean version of DeepSeek' is entirely feasible, provided that efficient and proactive investments from the government and corporations are in place.

Oh Young-joo, Minister of SMEs and Startups, is delivering a greeting at the "Global AI Development Trend Review and Response Measures Meeting" held on the 5th at the Seoul branch of the Seoul Guarantee Insurance in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Provided by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups

On the 5th, Ha Jung-woo, head of the Naver Cloud AI Center, expressed this view at the 'Meeting to Review the Latest AI Development Trends and Plans for Utilization and Expansion' held at the 63 Building in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

Ha stated, "It is known that 8 billion KRW was spent on developing DeepSeek, but this amount only covers the cost of a single training session. It excludes costs from previous failures and labor costs, which amount to about 2 billion KRW per researcher, so the actual investment was likely much higher."

He added, "If South Korea secures more Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) through joint investment by the government and corporations, it can certainly develop AI models of a similar level. The government should encourage development by supporting the cost of 10,000 GPUs and urging the creation of open-source models."

Lee Hwal-seok, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Upstage, pointed out that although South Korea's technological capabilities are not behind DeepSeek, the conditions to focus solely on AI development are still insufficient.

He believes that if domestic companies had 15,000 GPUs and concentrated on AI development for two years, they could develop models like DeepSeek, making strategic government investment essential.

Shin Jung-kyu, CEO of Labellup, urged, "It would be good if the government uses the budget flexibly and exemplary, supporting with the mindset of a venture capitalist."

On the 5th, the "Global AI Development Trend Review and Response Measures Meeting" is being held at the Seoul Branch of the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Provided by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups

There were also opinions that related laws and systems need to be improved.

Choi Kyung-jin, professor of law at Gachon University and president of the AI Law Society, said, "Data is the biggest pillar for SMEs and startups developing AI models, but in Korea, securing data is very difficult. We need to establish data utilization exceptions and defer penalties to reduce the risks and burdens on individual startups using data."

Oh Young-joo, Minister of SMEs and Startups, responded to these remarks by saying, "As the main ministry supporting startups, the emergence of DeepSeek is shocking, but I believe it will become another opportunity for domestic SMEs and startups."