Deputy Prime Minister System for Science, Technology, and Artificial Intelligence Officially Launched

Establishment of the Director General for Science, Technology, and Artificial Intelligence Policy Cooperation and Launch of the Council of Ministers on Science, Technology, and Artificial Intelligence
Creation of the Artificial Intelligence Policy Office to Support the Successful Advancement Toward Becoming a Global Top 3 AI Power

On September 30, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that, following the Cabinet's review and approval of the amended Government Organization Act reflecting the recent government reorganization, it has been elevated to a deputy prime minister-level ministry and will officially launch as the national control tower in the fields of science, technology, and artificial intelligence.

The Ministry of Science and ICT will establish a new "Director General for Science, Technology, and Artificial Intelligence Policy Cooperation" directly under the Deputy Prime Minister, and set up the "Council of Ministers on Science, Technology, and Artificial Intelligence" to further strengthen cross-ministerial leadership. This new council will not simply process agenda items, but, under the comprehensive coordination of the Deputy Prime Minister, will serve as a practical cooperation platform that plans and shares tasks requiring nationwide effort, bringing together all ministries as a unified team.

Background Hoon, Minister of Science and ICT and Deputy Prime Minister. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The existing bureau-level organization dedicated to artificial intelligence (the Artificial Intelligence-Based Policy Bureau) will be expanded and strengthened into the "Artificial Intelligence Policy Office," which will oversee both the "Director General for Artificial Intelligence Policy Planning" and the "Director General for Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Policy."

The Artificial Intelligence Policy Office will serve as the core organization for planning and implementing national artificial intelligence policies, fostering the national artificial intelligence ecosystem, and leading innovation in artificial intelligence across the entire government.

The "Director General for Artificial Intelligence Policy Planning" will focus on designing national artificial intelligence policies and legal frameworks to foster the artificial intelligence industry and ensure safety and trust, as well as strengthening the development of artificial intelligence talent.

The "Director General for Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Policy" will be responsible for expanding key infrastructure for the artificial intelligence era, including artificial intelligence computing resources, data, and cloud services, and will support the adoption and transformation of artificial intelligence in the public sector, industry, and regions based on this foundation.

The spokesperson position, currently at the director general level, will also be upgraded to the office director level. As a deputy prime minister-level ministry, the Ministry will strengthen its role and communication to make the fields of science, technology, and artificial intelligence-which may seem specialized and difficult-more accessible and understandable to the public, in line with the evolving media environment.

Minister of Science and ICT, Lee Kyunghoon, stated, "I accept my newly assigned role as Deputy Prime Minister with a deep sense of responsibility," adding, "I will work to realize a fundamental artificial intelligence society where all citizens can benefit from artificial intelligence, and to firmly establish our country as a global leader in this field."

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