"The transition to artificial intelligence is an innovation that goes beyond simple technology adoption, enhancing the reliability and quality of public services provided by the Korea Rural Community Corporation (KRC)."
Kim In-jung, president of KRC, is accelerating the integration of AI in agriculture. The focus is on using AI to predict droughts and water shortages, manage agricultural water efficiently, and ensure safety in rural areas.
At first glance, agriculture and AI may seem unrelated. However, with the aging rural population, labor shortages, and the climate crisis, agriculture has emerged as one of the sectors most in need of AI.
Before AI can directly engage in farming, a competition has begun to create an "AI-friendly farming environment."
Data is the new competitive edge in agriculture.
One of the most critical resources in agriculture is water. It is essential to accurately assess when it will rain, how much water is left in reservoirs, and which areas require more water.
The challenge lies in climate change. With extreme droughts and heavy rainfall becoming more frequent, managing agricultural water based solely on past experiences and statistics is increasingly difficult.
This is where AI comes into play.
By analyzing vast amounts of data, including weather information, reservoir levels, crop conditions, and water demand, AI can identify the likelihood of droughts and water shortages earlier. It can also provide more precise assessments of when and where water is needed.
A key feature of KRC's AI transition is that AI will be integrated directly into rural areas.
Satellites monitor farmland, and AI predicts water shortages.
KRC is also participating in the European Union's research and innovation program, Horizon Europe, this year.
Through the PROTEUS project, which involves 19 institutions across nine countries, KRC aims to combine satellite data with on-site measurements. The goal is to develop a model that can detect drought and crop stress early and suggest optimal agricultural water supply solutions.
Satellites observe the condition of farmland. Sensors collect data from the field. AI analyzes the potential for drought and water shortages. Based on these results, agricultural water is supplied to the necessary areas.
In the past, responses were made after droughts occurred; in the future, AI will predict droughts, allowing proactive measures in agriculture.
AI also detects algal blooms before they occur.
AI is being utilized for water quality management in agricultural reservoirs.
KRC employs an AI water quality prediction system that uses historical water quality data and weather information to predict reservoirs at high risk for algal blooms and respond proactively.
Previously, the approach was to check the site and respond after algal blooms occurred. With AI, the process changes.
Data is collected, and AI analyzes risks, allowing for early identification of reservoirs that are likely to have problems.
The true value of AI lies not in quickly generating reports after issues arise but in detecting risks before they become problems.
Kim In-jung's bold move: KRC-AX
Kim is expanding this transformation beyond individual projects to a comprehensive AI transition across the organization.
KRC launched the KRC-AI Strategy Committee at the end of 2025 and established the KRC-AX initiative. Kim serves as the committee's chair.
Key objectives include building an AX foundation, achieving zero major accidents through AI, innovating operations via AI, and engaging the public with AI. Ethical standards for AI have also been established to prepare for potential risks associated with expanded AI use.
This is not merely about introducing a few AI programs in the information department; it signifies a fundamental shift in how agriculture and rural management will be conducted, centered around AI.
AI colleagues will also emerge alongside employees.
AI is making its way into KRC's offices as well. The organization is implementing a KRC generative AI system that provides employees with relevant information by searching internal documents and data in response to their inquiries.
KRC handles many specialized tasks related to farmland, agricultural water, rural development, and production infrastructure. The vast amount of accumulated project data, regulations, and field experience over decades is significant.
By connecting this knowledge with AI, the experiences held by individual employees can be shared across the entire organization.
Kim described this as "a turning point that fundamentally innovates the way the organization operates and its decision-making structure."
Employees will transition from merely searching for documents to making decisions alongside AI.
AI will also be the first to identify risks in rural areas.
KRC manages not only farmland but also numerous facilities such as reservoirs, waterways, and drainage systems across the country.
Thus, safety management is a crucial area for AI application.
One of the main strategies of KRC-AX is achieving zero major accidents through AI. The use of smart safety equipment, such as AI CCTV, will help identify risks on-site more quickly.
In the future, if AI analyzes data collected by sensors and CCTV in real-time, the chances of detecting risky behaviors or anomalies in facilities that humans might overlook will increase.
This represents a shift from post-incident investigations to a proactive safety management approach where AI identifies potential accidents before they occur.
Next comes "Agricultural Physical AI."
What is noteworthy is the next phase.
Currently, AI primarily plays a role in data analysis and supporting human judgment. However, when AI connects with agricultural machinery, robots, reservoirs, waterways, and automated agricultural facilities, the narrative changes.
Weather AI predicts rainfall. Agricultural water AI calculates the amount of water needed for each crop. Sensors monitor the status of reservoirs and waterways. Automated facilities deliver water where needed. Robots and autonomous agricultural machinery operate based on crop conditions.
This is the vision of "Agricultural Physical AI."
KRC's strength lies here. While it is not a big tech company developing AI models, it possesses vast physical environments such as farmland, reservoirs, waterways, and drainage systems where AI can operate effectively.
This could become a massive testbed where AI and the real world intersect.
Could South Korea's "AI agriculture" become an export industry?
The potential extends beyond domestic borders.
Agriculture worldwide faces similar challenges as South Korea. Climate change is exacerbating water shortages, and rural populations are declining. Productivity must increase while using less water and energy.
If South Korea can integrate its expertise in agricultural water management, smart farming, agricultural machinery, and AI prediction technologies, a new export model could emerge.
Rather than exporting a single smart farm, the goal would be to export a "K-AI agricultural package" that combines agricultural water management, smart farming, agricultural machinery, and AI.
This approach could create new markets for South Korean agricultural AI, especially in countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa that are simultaneously facing water shortages and labor shortages in rural areas.
The era of AI in agriculture is upon us.
The national transition to AI is not limited to semiconductors, data centers, and manufacturing.
Agriculture, directly linked to food production, is also at the forefront of the AI transition.
KRC's AI strategy has two main branches. One is to transform the working methods of employees and the organization through generative AI. The other is to bring AI into agricultural water management, drought, water quality, disaster, and safety management in real rural settings.
When these two trends converge, the face of agriculture will change.
Agriculture will shift from being experience-dependent to data-driven, from reactive to proactive in disaster response, and from human-only management to a collaborative approach between AI and humans.
The core of this transformation is not AI replacing human labor in farming but rather enabling humans to farm more safely and efficiently with less water and labor.
This is why KRC, which has managed South Korea's agricultural water and farmland, is gaining renewed attention in the AI era.
: Kim In-jung, President of KRC:
Kim is a seasoned agricultural policy expert, having served as the director of the Rural Policy Bureau and the Food Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, as well as deputy minister. He was appointed as the 12th president of KRC in May 2025. He leads the KRC-AI Strategy Committee, establishing KRC-AX and ethical standards for AI, and is driving the integration of AI into agricultural water management, disaster response, safety management, and overall internal operations at KRC.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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