REPUBLIC OF KOREA

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

The Republic of Korea seeks to position itself as a leading country in AI. The government has put several measures in place to strengthen R&D activity in the field of AI.

In December 2016, the government announced the Mid- to Long-term Master Plan in Preparation for the Intelligent Information Society. In the report, it pledged to invest in R&D projects to accelerate the development of AI technology and to raise the country to the same level of technological advancement as other developed countries by 2023, particularly in the field of cognitive technologies, related to languages, vision, sensory experiences, and spatial cognition. It also mentioned a plan to reform research institutions to maximise R&D effectiveness.

In 2018, the country adopted an AI R&D Strategy to ensure that the country has world-class AI technology and a vibrant AI R&D ecosystem.

In December 2019, the government announced a national AI strategy to contribute to positioning the country as the world’s third-most digitally competitive nation by 2030. To this aim, the country plans to create an educational environment to enable its citizens to strengthen their AI literacy. It will also adopt an enabling regulatory framework in order for start-ups to flourish. Furthermore, by leveraging its expertise in memory chips, the country aims to build the world’s most competitive AI industry.

The application of AI in the field of defence and national security is also underway. The Ministry of National Defense (MND) stated in a 2018 white paper that it plans to develop an intelligent weapons system by applying AI and big data technologies. These technologies, it was noted, can significantly improve intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities by analysing the imagery intelligence obtained from various sensors (e.g. military satellites, reconnaissance aircraft, etc.). As a long-term objective, the ministry aims to develop an AI-based intelligent command and control system, through which battlefield situations can be analysed in real time.

At the international level, South Korea contributes to the work of the Group of Governmental Experts on developments in the field of lethal autonomous weapon systems (GGE on LAWS). In a statement to the 2018 GGE, the country highlighted that the international community should not be turning a blind eye to the role of defensive autonomous weapons, and advocated for the application of international humanitarian law to the development, deployment, and use of all weapons including LAWS.

AUGMENTED/VIRTUAL REALITY

For the Republic of Korea, scaling up defence R&D efforts is part of the country’s efforts to protect its national security and improve its global competitiveness. The MND announced it would increase the ratio of R&D spending from 6.9% in 2019 to 8.5% in 2023. It also plans to allocate KRW 21.9 trillion (USD$18.7 billion) for the development of new weapons and military technology over the next five years.

In line with these plans and objectives, the military is seeking ways to train its soldiers using the latest technologies, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). According to the Defence white paper issued in 2018, the MND plans to create ‘special operations simulation training systems’ for the Army, a ‘submarine crew training system’ for the Navy, and an ‘air base operation training system’ for the Air Force. The Korean Military Academy is reported to be partnering with local companies to develop VR and AR training programmes. Korea intends to take advantage of the fact that VR training is cost effective and  reduces risks associated with battlefield training by enabling users to immerse themselves in a virtual, yet safe, environment. First-person shooting games, in which players hold a true-to-life gun and wear a VR headset, will be adopted as part of the training course for Army cadets. The military school plans to offer advanced training on AR-enabled war games that deploy three-dimensional terrain maps for command post exercises.

In the civilian sector, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology has an Imagining Media Research Centre that conducts research on VR and other human-media interaction systems. Moreover, in 2017 the government launched the Korea Virtual Reality ‒ Augmented Reality Complex (KoVAC), which hosts a Digital Pavilion housing a studio for virtual reality shows, an AR/VR experience centre, and a research laboratory for professionals in the field. The centre also hosts start-ups and SMEs active in the fields of AR and VR. AR/VR R&D is also carried out by other research institutes across the country, such as the Korea Electronics Technology Institute, while the Korea VR-AR Industry Association facilitates cooperation between the government, the AR/VR industry, and the academic community.

5G

In 2019, the Republic of Korea launched a 5G+ Strategy to realise innovative growth, setting as a goal to ‘capture 15% of the global 5G market and a production volume of KRW 180 trillion by 2026’.

To achieve this goal, the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) announced that the 5G industry would be supported through three policy packages: tax credits for investments in 5G networks; simplified spectrum policies; and the tax relief measures on registering new 5G base stations.

5G network is also a much-expected technology in the field of national security. To accelerate the deployment of the VR/AR training programme for soldiers, the Korean Military Academy signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a local telecommunication company, SK Telecom Co., to build 5G infrastructure on the campus. With 5G network, the daily routine of cadets will be different, too. The company explained that each cadet will be provided with a wearable tech device to monitor their health. Combined with big data and 5G, the device can provide real-time health check-up assistance to cadets.

As the first country to have launched 5G commercial services, Korea has been actively engaging with other countries. In June 2019, MSIT and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland signed an MoU to respond to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The two countries agreed to co-operate on programmes on emerging technologies, including 5G. Among others, Korea’s Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) and Finland’s Oulu University signed an MoU to pursue joint research in 6G telecommunications technology. MSIT is also working to strengthen co-operation with India on 5G-related issues, including in the fields of R&D and standardisation.

QUANTUM COMPUTING

In 2019, MSIT announced a plan to invest KRW 44.5 billion (USD$39.8 billion) in the development of quantum computing technology over the next five years. The funds will be allocated to the development of core technologies, such as quantum computer hardware and to high potential areas, including computing new architecture, quantum algorithms, etc. The government seeks to ensure the development of a strong quantum computing research ecosystem in the country, able to develop a 5 qubit-class general-purpose quantum processor with more than 90% reliability by 2023.

Meanwhile, legislators created a parliamentary forum on quantum computing to lead legislative efforts aimed at fostering R&D in quantum computing across the industry. Research is currently carried out by multiple institutes, including the Centre for Quantum Information at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, and the Quantum Technology Institute at the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science.

Bilaterally, the Republic of Korea has been engaging in dialogue and co-operation with international partners. For instance, in April 2019 Israel and Korea agreed to pursue research in six areas including quantum communication. The country also contributes to the work carried out within the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau on quantum communications.