Seohun Oh Expands Scope to AI This Time... "Korea's Fate Depends on AI"

Meeting with Top Domestic AI Experts to Discuss Competitiveness Enhancement
Oh Se-hoon: "AI Will Determine the Future of Korea"
"Korea Feels Small Amid the US-China Hegemony War"
Stresses Talent Development Again While Announcing Forthcoming AI Vision

On June 5, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon stated, "The future fate of the Republic of Korea depends on AI (artificial intelligence)," adding, "Our future will be determined by AI." He promised bold support to revitalize the AI industry and also announced plans to unveil an AI vision. It appears he will embark on additional economic initiatives to strengthen Seoul's competitiveness based on this year's key administrative theme of regulatory reform.

That morning, Mayor Oh held an 'AI Industry Development Strategy Advisory Meeting' with AI experts at Seoul City Hall to discuss policies and strategies Seoul must establish to lead the AI industry. The meeting gathered top domestic AI experts, including Kim Ki-eung, Director of the National AI Research Hub; Choi Jae-boong, Professor at Sungkyunkwan University; Jang Byung-tak, Professor at Seoul National University; and Jung Song, KAIST Distinguished Professor. Corporate representatives such as Ji Ki-sung, President of Google Cloud Korea; Bae Soon-min, Executive Director of KT AI Lab; and Ha Jung-woo, Head of Naver Cloud Center also attended.

On the morning of the 5th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon held an 'AI Industry Promotion Strategy Advisory Meeting' with AI (Artificial Intelligence) experts at Seoul City Hall. Photo by Seoul City Hall

At the meeting, Mayor Oh referred to the Chinese AI startup 'DeepSeek,' which recently caused a seismic shift in the global AI market, saying, "The shock brought by DeepSeek is shaking the global AI landscape. It is exciting but also a very tense moment as we consider how to implement the insights it provides." Regarding the U.S. response to DeepSeek's emergence, he said, "After the Trump administration announced the Stargate plan to invest about $500 billion, it seemed the U.S. was gaining the upper hand, but DeepSeek launched guerrilla-style attacks with a small elite force, catching them off guard." He added, "The big tech companies in the U.S. appear visibly unsettled."

He also analyzed, "As the AI hegemony war between the U.S. and China intensifies, South Korea feels very small." In response, Mayor Oh emphasized, "To compete with AI, we must secure sufficient human resources and properly process data to ensure it is useful."

To this end, Seoul City promised various supports. Mayor Oh said, "We will do our utmost to help AI companies secure investments and provide funding so they can make bold investments and strategies," adding, "At the same time, we will diligently develop plans to recruit talent." He particularly stressed nurturing talent to revitalize the AI industry. Reiterating the plan to train 10,000 AI talents annually, Mayor Oh expressed confidence that Seoul's 'Youth Employment Academy' and the 'University Campus Town Project' linked with universities in Seoul can cultivate 4,000 and 6,000 talents each year, respectively.

Earlier, on June 2, Mayor Oh stated that all capabilities should be focused on AI innovation, including talent development, regardless of political party, in response to DeepSeek's emergence. Given concerns about declining external trust following the martial law situation, he emphasized the need for extraordinary economic measures amid political turmoil. Mayor Oh's focus on the AI industry following regulatory reform aligns with this context. He believes that competitive AI innovation can be achieved without astronomical investments or giant corporations.

This also reflects his intention to apply regulatory reform to the AI industry to achieve economic effectiveness. The regulatory reforms promoted by Mayor Oh have been yielding results across various economic sectors. Starting with Regulatory Abolition Plan No. 1 on May 5, which relaxed the ratio of non-residential uses in residential complex buildings in commercial and semi-residential areas, a total of 12 shadow regulations have been abolished as of the day before. Expanding the use of Onnuri gift certificates and easing floor area ratio restrictions on tourist accommodation facilities are examples of regulations that had caused inconvenience in daily life, earning high public approval.

Although Mayor Oh did not directly comment on the political situation that day, few view his recent actions as merely administrative. He has consistently expressed opinions on the impeachment crisis via Facebook and launched a regulatory abolition drive to remove obstacles to bold policy implementation. Around Seoul, interpretations are emerging that Mayor Oh's leadership of this AI meeting and related remarks represent the political figure 'Oh Se-hoon' expanding his stride toward a 'future that has become reality.'

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