First Science and Technology Ministerial Meeting under Lee Administration... Launching "10 Key AI Projects for Everyday Life"

First Meeting under Deputy Prime Minister System at Ministry of Science and ICT, to Be Held Regularly Every Month
Meeting Resumes After Four Years... Review of 10 Key Agendas Including AI for Everyday Life, Manufacturing AX, and National Strategy

Prime Minister Kim Minseok is presiding over the "1st Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology" at the main conference room of the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 24th. Photo by Ministry of Science and ICT

The Ministry of Science and ICT held the Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology on the 24th for the first time in four years. With the elevation of the Minister of Science and ICT to Deputy Prime Minister, the official control tower to lead the national AI strategy has now been launched.

The Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology was first established during the Roh Moo-hyun administration but was abolished during the Lee Myung-bak administration. It was reinstated in 2018 under the Moon Jae-in administration after an 11-year hiatus, with the last meeting held at the end of 2021.

This meeting was attended by the Prime Minister and the heads of 14 central government agencies, including the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Climate and Environment, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of SMEs and Startups, as well as the Chairmen of the Financial Services Commission and the Personal Information Protection Commission.

Although Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyunghoon is the official chair, Prime Minister Kim Minseok presided over the first meeting. Starting with this meeting, the government plans to hold regular monthly meetings led by the Deputy Prime Minister.

The first agenda item for the inaugural meeting was the "10 Major AI Projects for Public Welfare," which are closely tied to everyday life. The government decided to swiftly introduce artificial intelligence (AI) services that citizens can directly experience. These include an "AI Agricultural Product Smart Consumption Information Platform," which analyzes agricultural product prices and suggests optimal purchasing locations and alternative ingredients in the fields of consumption and daily life. Other projects include a "Small Business Management Consultant," a "Human Application Product Safety Keeper," and a "National Heritage AI Guide." In the area of public convenience, projects such as an "AI National Tax Information Consultant" for small taxpayers, "Everyone's Police Officer" to support public safety responses, and an "AI Licensing Assistant" were also included. In the field of social safety, the government will promote a joint response platform for voice phishing, expand crisis response for children and adolescents in cases of online sexual exploitation, runaway, and suicide, and develop AI for maritime risk analysis. These projects will be supported as new "Public AX Projects" starting in 2026, with a total investment of 13 billion KRW over two years.

The meeting also discussed the "Manufacturing AX (AI Transformation)" strategy to accelerate the AI transition in the manufacturing sector. By 2030, the government plans to establish 500 AI factories through the "AI Factory Leading Project." To achieve this, the "M.AX Alliance," consisting of more than 1,000 industry, academia, and research organizations, will be formed to create an innovative ecosystem for the entire manufacturing AX process, from data sharing to product development.

The "Science and Technology × AI National Strategy" was also approved on this day. The government will develop science and technology AI foundation models in six key areas: bio, earth science, mathematics, materials, chemistry, semiconductors, displays, and secondary batteries, and will secure and support more than 8,000 dedicated graphics processing units (GPUs) for science and technology AI. By 2028, 40 university basic research AI centers will be established, and by 2030, the government aims to attract 2,000 outstanding talents from overseas.

Other topics addressed included the Defense AX strategy, support measures for AI utilization and diffusion among small and medium-sized enterprises, innovation plans for the research and development ecosystem, and strategies for securing science and technology talent. The Defense AX strategy involves establishing an integrated AI data center for national defense (with 10,000 to 50,000 GPUs) and setting up five Defense AX hubs by next year. To support small and medium-sized enterprises, the "Next Unicorn Project" will invest a total of 13.5 trillion KRW by 2030 to foster AI and deep-tech unicorns.

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