South Korea Adds Frontier AI Track to Sovereign Model Program

South Korea plans to maintain its sovereign artificial intelligence foundation-model initiative while adding a separate frontier AI program, signaling a two-track strategy for strengthening domestic capabilities as global competition accelerates.

Deputy Prime Minister and Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon outlined the approach Tuesday during a parliamentary audit of his ministry. Responding to a question from opposition lawmaker Park Jeong-ha, Bae said the existing sovereign model project had passed its second evaluation and was moving into a third round.

The minister described the results achieved so far as being in the middle range by global standards. The next phase is intended to bring the Korean system close to leading open-weight models available worldwide, he said. His assessment highlighted both the progress made by participating teams and the gap that remains between the domestic effort and the most advanced systems.

Bae said the technological benchmark had risen sharply since last year as the United States pursued increasingly ambitious targets. He linked the planned frontier initiative, valued at 4.7 trillion won, to the rapid advance of top-tier models and the security risks created by more capable AI systems.

According to Bae, the sovereign model effort will continue on its current course, but a separate frontier project is needed to address difficult, unresolved problems and respond to cybersecurity threats. He also said current sovereign systems would have difficulty reaching the performance level required by industry and the public sector.

The distinction suggests that the government sees broad domestic control over foundation models and the pursuit of cutting-edge performance as related but different policy goals. The first program is moving through staged evaluations, while the frontier track is being framed as a larger effort aimed at the highest capability tier and national security needs.

In opening remarks at the audit, Bae identified AI data centers, physical AI and semiconductors as three major projects for the ministry. Together, those areas cover computing infrastructure, AI systems that interact with the physical world and the chips needed to run increasingly demanding models.

Bae also said the government plans to launch an “AI for All” service by the end of the year. He described it as free and without usage caps, although further operational details were not provided in his remarks.

The policy package places model development alongside infrastructure, hardware and public access. Its execution will depend on how the frontier program is structured, how funding is allocated and whether domestic teams can translate the investment into systems that meet the government's performance and cybersecurity objectives.