"Look at Hyundai": Minister of Land Criticizes R&D Agency for Having Only One AI Specialist, Says "It's Already Too Late"

Work Report of Affiliated Agencies
Session 2: Future Growth

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Yoonduk Kim criticized the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA) for being slow to respond, noting that the agency has only one AI specialist despite facing a host of AI-based challenges such as autonomous driving and sudden unintended acceleration.

During a work briefing for affiliated agencies and related organizations of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on January 14, Minister Kim stated, "Hyundai Motor Company recently appointed a young president in his late 40s, likely due to autonomous driving. The AI industry is changing that rapidly, so having only one expert at a research and development institution in the land and transport sector already means we are late."

Previously, First Vice Minister Itak Kim pointed out, "I heard KAIA has only about one AI professional. As an institution responsible for evaluating advanced technologies and managing R&D investments, it needs reinforcement." KAIA President Kim Jeonghee responded, "The Ministry of Economy and Finance controls public institution staffing, so it is not easy to secure additional personnel. We are currently working to train internal staff as AI experts."

In response, Minister Kim said, "We need to be bolder," and emphasized, "We must clearly communicate to the Ministry of Economy and Finance that this is necessary and indispensable." He added, "Both ministers and vice ministers will work together to ensure that securing personnel for AI innovation becomes an urgent priority."

Yoonduk Kim, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is speaking at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's affiliated agencies business briefing held at the Government Complex Sejong on the 14th. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

AI features prominently in the projects KAIA announced for 2026. The three core initiatives are: achieving status as a global mobility powerhouse through K-UAM, autonomous driving, and Hyperloop; securing 'K-AI City' technology where AI independently diagnoses and solves urban issues; and creating a safer living environment with AI-based technology to prevent pedal misapplication. All of this must be managed by just one AI specialist.

Preventing pedal misapplication is especially urgent. During the work briefing, Yongshik Jung, President of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, reported that suspected sudden unintended acceleration cases increased from about 60 in 2022 to 133 in 2024, more than doubling. Of these, about 90% (120 cases) were determined to be due to driver pedal misapplication. The increase in elderly drivers is cited as a major cause. While those aged 65 and older account for 15% of all licensed drivers, the proportion exceeds 25% in commercial transportation sectors such as freight and taxis. The government plans to invest 1 billion won this year to distribute 3,000 prevention devices. KAIA is also working on developing domestic prevention device technology that extends obstacle detection range from the current 1.5 meters to 3 meters.

Progress is also being made in autonomous driving demonstrations. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will launch a large-scale urban demonstration with 200 autonomous vehicles this year. The plan is to begin recruiting participating companies in January, select them in April, and complete vehicle production by August. Minister Kim stated, "After attending CES, I felt that in the field of autonomous driving, we are still at an elementary school level, while the US and China are already adults. Since we are behind, we must hurry to catch up from now on." Recently, Minister Kim attended CES 2026, the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition held in Las Vegas, USA, and visited Waymo, an American autonomous driving company based in California.