Bae Kyung-hoon, Minister of Science and ICT, Inaugurated "Will Create an Environment Where AI Can Be Used by Anyone"

[Financial News] Bae Kyung-hoon, Minister of Science and ICT, emphasized the realization of an AI talent powerhouse and R&D ecosystem innovation, stating on the 17th that "we will create an environment where anyone can efficiently utilize artificial intelligence (AI)" to leap to the "Top 3 AI Nations."
At the inauguration ceremony held at the Ministry of Science and ICT in the Government Complex Sejong on this day, Minister Bae emphasized, "We must secure our unique competitiveness that other countries cannot imitate and achieve a national transformation based on AI and advanced science and technology to increase efficiency and productivity and make groundbreaking changes."
In his inaugural address, Minister Bae presented three key policy directions, first stating, "To realize the 'Leap to the Top 3 AI Nations,' we will establish a robust AI ecosystem and create an environment where AI can be used by anyone." He plans to quickly expand world-class AI infrastructure such as the National AI Computing Center and Supercomputer No. 6 and fully build the world's best ultra-high-performance and ultra-intelligent digital infrastructure.
He said, "We will establish a safety and trust foundation for AI so that it can be used with confidence and prepare a solid cybersecurity system," adding, "To realize the AI Basic Society, we will support securing AI foundation models and build a national data integration platform to secure and utilize high-quality learning data."
He plans to support AI transformation (AX) in all public, regional, and industrial areas to help innovative AI startups grow into global unicorns and quickly secure next-generation technologies such as NPU (Neural Processing Unit) and PIM (Processing In Memory) for AI semiconductors.
He also mentioned creating an innovation ecosystem where R&D investment circulates into growth. Minister Bae said, "We will expand stable and predictable support for basic research, which is the seed of innovation," and "support the introduction and utilization of AI to accelerate the derivation of innovative research results."
He also conveyed that he would actively work on amending laws to complete the abolition of the R&D preliminary feasibility study system, stating, "We will expand the participation of private experts throughout the entire process of science and technology policy decision-making to secure expertise and openness." The plan is to innovate so that national representative research institutions can produce results commensurate with their status and transition to a regional autonomous R&D system where regions plan, execute, and manage independently.
Along with this, he said, "We will realize the 'AI and Science Technology Talent Powerhouse,' which is the core of the national innovation ecosystem," and "establish a support system for nurturing top-level talent in the AI field, such as promoting AI-centered universities, and rationally improve the treatment of researchers, including those at research institutes." Minister Bae also said in a conversation with Ministry of Science and ICT employees, "For science and technology talent, it is more important to have an environment where research can continue rather than simply having a high salary," adding, "Through this, we will create a virtuous cycle structure where one good talent attracts other talents naturally during my term."
He also said, "We will create an AI utilization environment for 'Everyone's AI' so that all citizens can access AI without interruption and use high-quality communication services at reasonable prices," adding, "We will make meaningful changes in work methods by utilizing AI from small parts such as simple data organization and idea discovery." Minister Bae added, "Now is the era where anyone can use AI," and "I think creating a system where AI can be used in research by creating AI for each basic science field is the first mission of the Ministry of Science and ICT."
He also said about future work, "I don't want to differentiate between the public and private sectors. I want to create a smooth communication culture without organizational hierarchy restrictions in a horizontal society," and when asked about his MBTI, he answered ENTJ, saying, "I like goal-oriented things, and while high goals are good, I prefer goals that can be realistically achieved as planned." 
jiany@fnnews.com Reporter Yeon Ji-an