South Korea has had many science and technology ministers, but none have directly developed artificial intelligence (AI) models.
Baek Kyung-hoon, the Vice Minister of Science and Technology, is different. He is not a bureaucrat; he led the development of EXAONE, South Korea's representative super-large AI model, as the inaugural head of LG AI Research Institute and spearheaded the country's first inference-based AI development.
Now, he is designing South Korea's future from a government office rather than a research lab.
Baek Kyung-hoon is not just a minister fostering the AI industry; he is the chief architect of a national project aimed at making South Korea one of the top three AI nations. With the revival of the Vice Minister of Science and Technology, he has become the commander overseeing AI policy, research and development (R&D), and national strategic technologies.
The First AI Technology Minister in South Korea
Baek Kyung-hoon's most notable characteristic is that he is someone who has "built AI himself." He researched AI-based unmanned autonomous robots at Samsung Thales and developed video recognition and big data AI at SK Telecom's Future Technology Institute. He has since led the advancement of South Korea's AI industry through his roles at LG Uplus, LG Electronics, and LG AI Research Institute.
While most policymakers receive reports on AI, Baek Kyung-hoon is someone who has created AI. This experience shapes his policy language. He views AI not as an abstract future industry but through the lens of concrete infrastructures such as GPUs, data centers, semiconductors, algorithms, and talent.
The Man Behind EXAONE
To understand Baek Kyung-hoon, one must first understand LG EXAONE. He took office as the inaugural head of LG AI Research Institute in 2020 and embarked on developing a Korean super-large AI model, resulting in EXAONE.
EXAONE is not just a corporate AI.
Released in 2024, EXAONE 3.0 proved its global performance by competing with Meta's LLaMA and Google's Gemini. Following this, EXAONE 3.5 was named a "notable AI model" in the Stanford University AI Index report, the only Korean model to receive this recognition.
Baek Kyung-hoon did not stop there.
He unveiled South Korea's first inference-based AI, EXAONE Deep, and introduced the hybrid AI EXAONE 4.0, which integrates general and inference models. He is not just someone who follows AI; he is someone who competes with it.
Project to Establish South Korea as a Top AI Nation
Baek Kyung-hoon's national vision is clear: "I will make South Korea one of the top three AI nations." At his inauguration, he declared, "I will realize the first pledge of the people's sovereignty government: the leap to becoming one of the top three AI nations." He outlined three strategies to achieve this goal.
First, the construction of an AI highway.
Second, the cultivation of AI talent.
Third, the transformation of the AI industry (AX).
The AI highway is a key term in Baek Kyung-hoon's policy. He has identified securing a national AI computing center, supercomputers, and GPUs as top national priorities. He emphasized, "AI data centers are the starting point for South Korea's leap to becoming one of the top three AI nations."
Revolutionizing Data Centers for AI Advancement
Baek Kyung-hoon believes that AI competitiveness lies in data centers. Recently, the Ministry of Science and Technology began preparing subordinate regulations for the special law on AI data centers. The goal is to promote private investment through streamlined permitting, exemptions from power system impact assessments, and relaxed facility standards.
This is not merely regulatory easing.
It is the construction of highways for the AI era. Just as highways during the industrialization era created manufacturing competitiveness, data centers in the AI era will determine national competitiveness. Baek Kyung-hoon views the establishment of AI infrastructure as a core pillar of national growth strategy.
Collaborations with Global AI Leaders
Baek Kyung-hoon's strength lies in his global network. He has signed agreements for joint AI research, talent development, and responsible AI use with Google DeepMind. He also facilitated a memorandum of understanding with Anthropic for cooperation on AI safety and cybersecurity, which includes Korean-language AI safety assessments, AI agent red team testing, and AI security collaboration.
This carries significant implications.
It indicates that South Korea's AI strategy is no longer confined to the domestic market but is directly connected to the global AI network. Baek Kyung-hoon aims to position South Korea not as an AI consumer but as a nation that sets AI standards.
Strategy for a Physical AI Powerhouse
Baek Kyung-hoon is currently focusing on the center of the AI industry: "physical AI." Physical AI refers to AI that can make decisions and act autonomously in the real world, such as robots, self-driving cars, and smart factories. He launched the "Physical AI Global Alliance," which includes Hyundai Motor, HD Hyundai, and LG AI Research Institute.
Notably, the AI transformation project in the shipbuilding and marine industries symbolizes Baek Kyung-hoon's strategy. The goal is to convert shipyards into AI autonomous operation systems, digitize the know-how of skilled technicians, and redesign the entire manufacturing sector into an AI industry. This distinguishes South Korea's AI strategy from the software AI of the United States and the platform AI of China.
Integrating Cybersecurity with AI Development
Baek Kyung-hoon views AI and security as intertwined. Following a hacking incident involving telecommunications companies, he established an information security response task force and is promoting the training of white-hat hackers, blocking smishing, and building AI-based security systems. He publicly stated, "Without a robust cybersecurity framework, it is impossible to become one of the top three AI nations." This is an important insight for the AI era.
AI is a technology that enhances productivity but also amplifies hacking and security threats. Baek Kyung-hoon is looking at AI competitiveness and national security simultaneously.
The Significance of Reviving the Vice Minister of Science and Technology
The most significant change in Baek Kyung-hoon's era is the revival of the Vice Minister of Science and Technology. After 17 years, the Vice Minister has returned to play a control tower role overseeing AI, R&D, and national strategic technologies. This signifies that South Korea has elevated AI from an industrial policy to a national strategy. Just as the Deputy Prime Minister oversees the economy, the Vice Minister of Science and Technology will oversee AI and future technologies.
Baek Kyung-hoon is the first commander in this role.
The Essence of Baek Kyung-hoon's Leadership
While Koo Yun-cheol designs the AI nation through national finance, Baek Kyung-hoon is designing it through technology. He is not a bureaucrat; he is a researcher, developer, and entrepreneur-type technology leader. He constantly asks himself the same question.
"Can companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and DeepMind emerge from Korea?"
Baek Kyung-hoon believes that the next two to three years will be a golden time for determining AI hegemony.
Thus, he is securing GPUs, building data centers, partnering with global AI companies, nurturing physical AI, and cultivating AI talent. Baek Kyung-hoon's challenge is not merely to grow the AI industry.
It is to prove whether South Korea can transition from being a country that uses AI to one that creates AI. This is the essence of Baek Kyung-hoon's leadership that the "ABC AI National Transition" must focus on.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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