“2026 will be a great leap forward year for science and technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to change the fate of the country and make people’s lives richer and safer.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyounghun declared 2026 as a “turning point for leap and growth” in his New Year’s tackle on the first and expressed his willingness to safe world-class science and technology and AI competitiveness by rallying nationwide capabilities as a deputy prime minister ministry. In explicit, it heralded the belief of an “AI basic society” wherein all residents take pleasure in AI advantages, in addition to the institution of a robust institutional basis to resolve company safety insensitivity.
In the AI subject, Deputy Prime Minister Bae mentioned, “We will realize a ‘Basic AI Society’ in which all citizens enjoy AI benefits and accelerate the global territorial expansion of K-AI. We will secure world-class independent AI models this year to promote AI transformation across major industries such as manufacturing, shipbuilding, and logistics, and increase public benefits through AI people’s livelihood projects.”
“We will open an era of innovation in which everyone creates new opportunities using AI as a tool,” he mentioned. “We will further expand the entry of the ‘Full Stack K-AI’ ecosystem that encompasses semiconductors and AI into the global market.”
It has issued a stronger message on digital security and safety. Deputy Prime Minister Bae declared, “Information security is a prerequisite for determining the existence of the AI era,” including, “We will establish an institutional foundation to resolve the widespread security insensitivity in companies and recognize security as a priority value of corporate management.”
“We will stipulate the CEO’s security responsibilities in the law and impose punitive fines on companies that have repeated security accidents,” he mentioned. “We will also advance the government’s security capabilities to promote an all-out war against hacking.”
In addition, Deputy Prime Minister Bae mentioned, “We will greatly expand the regional autonomous R&D budget and create AI base clusters linked to regional specialized industries by metropolitan area.”
[Reporter Ko Min-seo]