Amid 'Line Incident' Controversy... Ministry of Science and ICT and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Join Forces to "Unite Capabilities" (Comprehensive)

MOU Signed Between Two Ministries on the 10th and Council Formation
Planned Briefing by 2nd Vice Minister of Ministry of Science and ICT
"Deliver Accurate Message" "Must Express Protest"

The government has belatedly responded as the country’s top artificial intelligence (AI) company faces the prospect of handing over its global platform to Japan.

Kang Do-hyun, Vice Minister of Science and ICT Photo by Yonhap News

On the morning of the 10th, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a kickoff meeting for the 'AI and Digital Diplomacy Policy Council' at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building. The Ministry of Science and ICT explained, "The council was established to closely respond to global issues and changes in the AI and digital sectors through the expertise of both ministries."

This council emerged amid growing possibilities that Naver’s global messenger Line, nurtured over 13 years, will become a Japanese company. This comes more than two months after Line Yahoo, the operator of Line, received a first administrative guidance from Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, including a review of its capital relationship with Naver, in March.

Nevertheless, the two ministries issued a somewhat absurd press release titled "There are no departmental barriers in AI and digital diplomacy" on the same day.

Until now, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the main IT authority, had only stated that it was "continuously in close consultation with Naver" without making any substantial statements about the content of the discussions. This led to criticism that the Korean government was watching the situation passively, seemingly cautious of the Japanese government’s stance.

On the day, the two ministries signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), agreeing that the Ministry of Science and ICT would share information on domestic and international AI and digital policies and systems, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would monitor and share trends in normative revisions by leading countries and international organizations in the AI and digital fields.

The joint chairpersons of the council will be Kang Dohyun, 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, and Kang Inseon, 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Additionally, Vice Minister Kang held a briefing on the Line issue at 3 p.m. at the Government Seoul Office.

When asked about the council’s function, Vice Minister Kang said, "The council was not formed specifically to resolve the Line issue," but added, "If necessary, matters like the Line issue will naturally be discussed within this council."

He elaborated, "This council was prepared for joint responses to various issues that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and we have been dealing with," and "In the near term, it is an effort to further accelerate cooperation in preparing for the upcoming 'AI Seoul Summit.'"

Earlier, on the 8th, Line Yahoo officially requested Naver to step down from its position as a joint major shareholder of the parent company. The day before, SoftBank, which holds 50% of A Holdings?the parent company of Line Yahoo?had announced that it was negotiating with Naver over the shareholding issue.

If the sale of shares by Naver, Korea’s leading AI company, becomes a reality, the government’s plan to elevate the country’s international standing in the AI sector is expected to be undermined. Moreover, it is obvious that Korea’s position as the host country at the 'AI Seoul Summit,' jointly held by the Korean and British governments this month, will be damaged.

Professor Kim Yonghee of Soongsil University suggested, "Although this is a transaction between private companies and a property matter that makes it difficult for the government to speak out actively, it is important for our government to deliver a clear message, just as the Japanese government intervened through administrative guidance."

He added, "We need to establish a system that can prevent similar situations from happening to our companies entering the global market in the future, so they can conduct business safely."

Professor Wi Jeonghyun of Chung-Ang University argued, "If this incident is overlooked, Korean companies may face the same demands in every country where they provide services," and insisted, "Our government must strongly protest and express opposition to the Japanese government’s actions and SoftBank’s behavior."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.