50th Day Press Conference
"Nobel Prize-Level Achievements, Higher Potential in Bio with AI Integration"
Emphasizing Restoration of Trust in R&D and Strengthening Budget Authority
"Establishing a Major Transformation in Information Security to Eradicate Hacking"
On the 12th, Baek Goon, Minister of Science and ICT, announced, "The success or failure of the AI transition depends on the speed of infrastructure development, so we plan to establish 200,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) by 2030."
At a press conference marking his 50th day in office held in Jongno-gu that day, Minister Baek stated, "Through the newly established 'Science and Technology Artificial Intelligence Ministerial Meeting,' we will coordinate cross-ministerial policies and develop Korea's K-AI not only as sovereign AI but as 'inclusive AI' that can become a globally chosen technology." He emphasized, "By efficiently coordinating next year's research and development (R&D) budget of 35.3 trillion won and the AI budget of 10.1 trillion won, we aim to become one of the world's top three AI powers and one of the top five countries in science and technology."
The Science and Technology Artificial Intelligence Ministerial Meeting is an upgraded version of the 'Science and Technology-Related Ministers' Meeting' that was operated during the Participatory Government era alongside the introduction of the Vice Prime Minister for Science and Technology. With the Ministry of Science and ICT being elevated again to the vice prime ministerial level through amendments to the Government Organization Act under the current administration, this cross-ministerial ministerial-level council is being revived. It is significant in that the Ministry of Science and ICT will have substantial coordinating authority, establishing a governance structure that can strongly lead science, technology, and AI policies across all ministries.
Minister Baek said, "Each ministry has its own agenda, so I am concerned that we might be running separately toward the common goal of AX (AI transformation). We need to bring these efforts together and produce results. Since there may be duplication as each ministry pursues its own AI projects, our ministry plans to operate as a platform and coordinating body." He added, "By realizing an AI-based society where the benefits of AI are universally enjoyed, we will create a 'Korea where everyone prospers together.' We also plan to contribute to restoring the potential growth rate to 3%."
"AI Technology Gap with the US to Narrow from 1.3 Years to 0.5 Years... 200,000 GPUs by 2030"
Minister Baek declared that, as of 2023, the gap in AI technological capabilities between Korea and the United States stands at 1.3 years, and he aims to reduce this gap to 0.5 years by 2030. To this end, he said the previous plan to secure 50,000 advanced GPUs by 2030 will be moved up to 2028. "Given the current pace of change in AI technology and the market, 50,000 GPUs are not enough. Internally, we are preparing a plan to build 200,000 GPUs by 2030, and will announce it once consensus is reached," he explained.
Regarding the independent AI foundation model, he said, "By the end of this year, we will have a large language model (LLM) that ranks among the world's top ten," and added, "We will not stop at developing language models but will advance to multimodal and behavioral models as well."
Minister Baek assessed that Korea, with its strengths in manufacturing and software flexibility, can find opportunities in the field of physical AI. He said, "We need to understand why the United States fears China. Although the US big tech companies have developed world-class AI, their weakness in manufacturing makes them concerned that China could overtake them." He emphasized, "Just as China is accumulating data for physical AI through 'dark factory' plants where robots automate production in the dark, Korea can also carve out a new breakthrough using manufacturing and software as its weapons."
He also shared his views on sovereign AI. "I don't want to define Korea's 'K-AI' only as sovereign AI; I believe 'inclusive AI' is important," he said. "It seems K-AI has been defined as a model specialized for and usable only in Korea, but we must have AI technology that is internationally recognized. Our independent AI foundation model must become one of the global top three," he stressed.
Through the 'AI for All' initiative, Minister Baek stated, "We must improve accessibility for those unfamiliar with AI, make it affordable for students, and provide free access for the underprivileged. We will enable the public to utilize AI through an AI voucher program." He continued, "Although Korea reportedly has the highest usage rate of ChatGPT, there must be a clear alternative available domestically. Our goal is not just to create an AI that can be used to some extent in Korea, but to develop an AI that can be widely used by companies and users overseas as well."
"Combining AI with Basic Science Must Lead to a Nobel Prize... Need to Restore Trust Lost Due to R&D Budget Cuts"
Minister Baek also emphasized the application of AI in strategies to become one of the top five countries in science and technology. "When AI is introduced to science and technology, innovation occurs," he explained. "AI is no longer just a 'tool'; it should be considered a 'colleague' with the capabilities of a research director."
Regarding strategies for winning a Nobel Prize, he predicted, "There is a high possibility because a lot of AI investment is being made in the bio sector." He explained that the reason John Jumper of DeepMind and Demis Hassabis won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their AlphaFold research was not the 'result' itself, but the 'possibility' that AI enabled rapid problem-solving in protein structure prediction, which was difficult for private experts alone. He added, "Scientists should not view AI merely as a tool, but should create agentic AI tailored to the problems they want to solve and work together to tackle difficult challenges."
He announced that the number of basic research projects will be expanded from 12,000 in 2025 to 15,000 in 2026. Minister Baek acknowledged, "I take the issue of budget cuts by the previous administration very seriously. In fact, trust was lost," and admitted, "It will take time to restore trust once it has been lost."
Regarding the shortage of science and technology talent, he frankly admitted, "Can we provide an answer now? We cannot." He emphasized, "We need to make R&D more attractive, and foster the perception that 'in Korea, we can solve these problems and receive support for research environments.'"
On the legislative institutionalization of the R&D budget, Minister Baek said, "Strengthening budget authority is necessary within the ministry as well. In the past, technical experts did not have enough time to review the budget, inevitably leading to shortcomings." He added, "To strengthen budget authority, we are requesting sufficient time to review the R&D budget, and ahead of our ministry's elevation, we are voicing our opinions more strongly to establish clear roles and responsibilities between the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Science and ICT."
Regarding the recent series of hacking incidents, he stressed, "To enhance our defense strategies in line with the pace of technological advancement, it is important to establish a major transformation in information security. We will form a task force (TF) under the Second Vice Minister to respond." In particular, regarding hacking countermeasures for small and medium-sized enterprises, he stated, "Telecommunications companies have the capital to respond when issues arise, but SMEs lack the resources, making hacking a bigger issue for them. The government is fully considering financial support and will also establish a comprehensive information security system."
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