Government Ministries Join Forces to Accelerate AI Transformation in Defense and Industry Sectors

MOU Signed by the Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Ministry of SMEs and Startups

The Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 3rd that they had signed a memorandum of understanding to drive innovation in the AI transformation (AX) of the defense and industrial sectors, on the occasion of the 'Defense Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ecosystem Development Forum.'

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, Haeun Bae, delivers a congratulatory speech at the '2025 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hacking Defense Competition' held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 1st. Provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT

This agreement was established to effectively promote AX in the defense sector amid recent changes in the global security environment. The main areas of cooperation include: AX innovation across defense and industry based on an 'independent AI foundation model,' identification of defense AI technology needs, provision of opportunities for demonstration, support for the use of defense research and development (R&D) infrastructure, development of core AI technologies and infrastructure, utilization in defense, industry, and public sectors, AI talent development, expanding the application of AI technologies from defense to the defense and manufacturing sectors, and discovering and nurturing innovative startups and SMEs in the defense AX sector.

The four ministries expect that by establishing a cooperative framework, they will be able to accelerate AX in the defense and industrial sectors, continuously secure the competitiveness of the defense industry, and move closer to the goal of building an advanced, trusted military. They also anticipate that AX across industries will play a key role in enhancing corporate competitiveness and productivity, as well as improving the nation’s overall competitiveness.

Paik Kun-hoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, stated, "Expanding AX throughout the defense and industrial sectors not only strengthens national security capabilities but also creates an environment where the public can more easily access AI-based services, serving as a key driver for enhancing national AI competitiveness." He added, "The government plans to develop and secure the first independent AI model with global impact by the end of the year and release it as open source." He continued, "We will actively promote AX across defense and industry by securing GPUs and will spare no technical and policy support to ensure these efforts lead to tangible results."

Im Moon-young, Standing Vice Chairperson of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee, said, "AI is a key driver leading fundamental changes across industry, society, and even national security, so it is essential to rapidly apply AI to all areas of defense." He emphasized, "We must establish acquisition systems tailored to the characteristics of AI technology and realize security and data management frameworks to expand cooperation with the private sector."