[COVER STORY] Korea's 2-track AI strategy casts uncertainty over sovereign model project

The South Korean government is continuing its national AI foundation model project while planning a separate frontier AI program, raising uncertainty over how the two efforts will be divided. The foundation model project is entering a third-stage evaluation, with two finalists expected to be selected in February, while the frontier program is scheduled to begin in March 2027 with 4.7 trillion won allocated. Officials say the tracks will serve different needs, but experts question whether maintaining both could duplicate resources and confuse participants.

Deputy Prime Minister and Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said the foundation model project aims to expand AI use in industry and the public sector and bring models closer to globally used open-weight systems.

The foundation model project originally targeted about 95 percent of the performance of leading global models, but officials acknowledged that rapid advances in AI have changed the competitive landscape.

Lee Seong-yeob of Korea University said users may favor a successful frontier model over the national foundation model, potentially weakening the case for continuing both projects.

Choi Kyoung-jin of Gachon University recommended considering upgrades to existing models and avoiding duplicated spending on datasets and other resources.

LG AI Research, SK Telecom and Upstage remain in the existing competition, while the government is considering revised support and incentives for finalists that join the frontier AI program.

Published Oct 11, 2026 2:30 pm KST

Updated Oct 11, 2026 4:47 pm KST

Gov't urged to clarify distinction between new frontier AI, ongoing program

The government has been working to develop a national artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model, while planning to launch a separate effort to develop frontier models. This two-track strategy is raising questions: Why is the government pushing the new project and how will it draw the line between the two programs?

The Ministry of Science and ICT confirmed that the ongoing AI foundation model project will proceed with a third-stage evaluation, with two finalists expected to be selected in February. Separately, the government plans to allocate 4.7 trillion won ($3.5 billion) for a frontier AI program set to begin in March 2027.

The split reflects the government's growing concern that the rapid advances in global AI have made the foundation model project's original goals harder to achieve, while abandoning the project could undermine the ecosystem and capabilities built up over the past year.

Deputy Prime Minister and Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon has repeatedly rejected speculations that the foundation model project is being scrapped.

“The national AI foundation model project has been pursued with the goal of expanding AI across the industrial and public sectors, increasing its use and developing a world-class model,” Bae said at the National Assembly’s annual audit in Seoul on Tuesday.

He emphasized the third-stage evaluation is under way and that the government aims to bring the models closer to the level of open-weight AI models used globally.

The project, lauched last year, had originally set a benchmark of reaching about 95 percent of the performance of leading global models. However, the government has since acknowledged that the AI landscape has changed dramatically, particularly after the emergence of Claude Mythos underscored the rapid pace of advances in AI capabilities.

"We believe an additional frontier AI project is needed to address challenges facing humanity that could not previously be solved and respond to cybersecurity threats, so the related project is being added,” Bae said, explaining that each of the two tracks will serve different needs.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon, front row second from right, watches a dancing robot at a physical artificial intelligence forum at the Korea Development Bank headquarters in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, Sept. 22. Yonhap

However, the separate allocation of resources to frontier AI is raising concerns about the role of the existing project and whether its two winners will continue to receive the support originally promised.

Experts questioned whether the two programs can maintain distinct roles, particularly if the new frontier AI program succeeds in developing a more capable model.

“Even if we pursue both tracks, once a frontier-level model emerges, domestic companies or public institutions are likely to use the frontier model rather than the national AI foundation model,” said Lee Seong-yeob, a professor at Korea University's Graduate School of Management of Technology.

“If that happens, we ultimately move toward the frontier model, so I wonder whether there is really a need to continue the national AI foundation model project just to comply with the policy.”

Lee said the competition had helped advance AI technology, but the original goal of the national AI foundation model project was becoming harder to achieve as leading global AI models continue to advance, suggesting that concentrating resources on frontier AI could be more effective.

Choi Kyoung-jin, director of the Center for AI, Data and Policy at Gachon University, emphasized the need for the government to first clearly define the goals of the frontier model and how long it expects the development process to take.

“When the national AI foundation model project first started, its purpose was actually to develop a frontier model at the time … But today's frontier and next year's frontier are different,” Choi said. “The government may launch a new project, but I think it needs to clearly present what it aims to achieve.”

LG AI Research co-President Lee Hong-lak presents EXAONE 4.0 during the LG AI Talk Concert event at LG Science Park in western Seoul, July 22, 2025. Courtesy of LG AI Research

Choi suggested that the government consider building on existing models rather than starting from scratch.

“It may actually be faster to upgrade existing models rather than develop something new from scratch,” he said, cautioning against duplicating spending on data and other resources if the two programs use the same datasets.

He also called for better use of the capabilities and models built up through the past year of competition under the national AI project.

“A model does not stop being useful just because it ranks lower; lightweight models have their own uses by service area, while frontier-level models have their own uses,” he said, arguing that the country needs capabilities across frontier, lightweight and industry-specific models.

“What Korea needs is the ability to supply models for diverse fields, rather than necessarily having only a frontier model.”

For the three teams still competing in the existing project — LG AI Research, SK Telecom and Upstage — the immediate question is how the project will evolve after the final-stage evaluation.

The government has said the two finalists will continue to receive support, but is considering changes to its scale and form. It is also considering incentives or priority for the finalists that join the frontier AI program, alongside an AI adoption track aimed at expanding the use of sovereign AI models across industries and the public sector.

An industry official said the government’s two-track approach could have both benefits and challenges for participating companies.

“Running the government-led projects (in succession) could create synergies, but it could also be confusing for participating companies as they consider how to take part in each program,” the official said.

Korea to launch $3.5 bil. frontier AI project next year

Motif challenges national AI model project after elimination

韩国政府在推进国家人工智能基础模型项目的同时，也在规划一项独立的前沿人工智能项目，这使得两项计划如何分配资源成为未知数。基础模型项目目前正处于第三阶段评估，预计将于2月份选出两名最终入围者；而前沿人工智能项目则计划于2027年3月启动，预算为4.7万亿韩元。官方表示，这两项计划将满足不同的需求，但专家质疑，同时推进这两项计划是否会造成资源浪费，并可能使参与者感到困惑。

韩国副总理兼科学部长裴京勋表示，该基础模型项目旨在扩大人工智能在工业界和公共部门的应用，并使模型更接近全球使用的开放权重系统。

该基础模型项目最初的目标是达到全球领先模型约 95% 的性能，但官员们承认，人工智能的快速发展已经改变了竞争格局。

韩国大学的李成烨表示，用户可能更倾向于成功的前沿模式而不是国家基础模式，这可能会削弱继续开展这两个项目的理由。

加川大学的崔京镇建议考虑对现有模型进行升级，避免在数据集和其他资源上重复支出。

LG AI Research、SK Telecom 和 Upstage 仍将参加现有比赛，而政府正在考虑对加入前沿人工智能计划的决赛选手进行修订支持和激励措施。

发布于2026年10月11日下午2:30（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月11日下午4:47（韩国标准时间）

政府被敦促澄清新兴人工智能与现有项目之间的区别

政府一直在努力构建国家人工智能（AI）基础模型，同时计划启动一项独立的前沿模型开发项目。这种双轨战略引发了人们的疑问：政府为何要大力推进新项目？又将如何界定这两个项目之间的界限？

韩国科学技术信息通信部确认，正在进行的人工智能基础模型项目将进入第三阶段评估，预计将于2月份选出两名最终入围者。此外，韩国政府计划拨款4.7万亿韩元（约合35亿美元）用于一项前沿人工智能项目，该项目将于2027年3月启动。

这一分歧反映出政府日益担忧，全球人工智能的快速发展使得该基础模型项目的最初目标更难实现，而放弃该项目可能会破坏过去一年建立起来的生态系统和能力。

韩国副总理兼科学部长裴京勋多次否认有关基础模型项目将被取消的猜测。

裴俊浩周二在首尔举行的国会年度审计会上表示：“国家人工智能基础模型项目的目标是将人工智能扩展到工业和公共部门，提高其应用水平，并发展成为世界一流的模型。”

他强调第三阶段评估正在进行中，政府的目标是使这些模型更接近全球使用的开放权重人工智能模型的水平。

该项目于去年启动，最初设定的目标是达到全球领先模型性能的95%左右。然而，政府后来承认，人工智能领域已经发生了巨大变化，尤其是在Claude Mythos出现之后，人工智能能力的飞速发展更加凸显。

裴表示：“我们认为需要增加一个前沿人工智能项目，以应对人类面临的以前无法解决的挑战和网络安全威胁，因此增加了这个相关项目。”他解释说，这两个方向将满足不同的需求。

9月22日，韩国副总理兼科学技术信息通信部部长裴京勋（前排右二）在首尔永登浦区韩国开发银行总部举行的实体人工智能论坛上观看跳舞机器人。（韩联社）

然而，将资源单独分配给前沿人工智能引发了人们对现有项目的作用以及其两个获胜者是否会继续获得最初承诺的支持的担忧。

专家质疑这两个项目能否保持各自独立的角色，尤其是在新的前沿人工智能项目成功开发出更强大的模型的情况下。

“即使我们同时推进这两条路线，一旦出现前沿模型，国内企业或公共机构也可能会使用前沿模型，而不是国家人工智能基金会模型，”韩国大学技术管理研究生院教授李成烨表示。

“如果这种情况发生，我们最终将走向前沿模式，所以我怀疑是否真的有必要仅仅为了遵守政策而继续推进国家人工智能基础模式项目。”

李表示，这项竞赛有助于推动人工智能技术的发展，但随着全球领先的人工智能模型不断进步，国家人工智能基金会模型项目的最初目标越来越难以实现，这表明将资源集中于前沿人工智能可能更有效。

加川大学人工智能、数据与政策中心主任崔京镇强调，政府首先需要明确界定前沿模式的目标，以及预计开发过程需要多长时间。

崔表示：“国家人工智能基础模型项目最初启动时，其目的是为了开发当时的尖端模型……但如今的尖端技术和明年的尖端技术已经有所不同。政府可能会启动一个新项目，但我认为它需要明确阐述其目标。”

2025年7月22日，LG AI研究院联席总裁李洪乐在首尔西部LG科学园举行的LG AI Talk Concert活动上展示了EXAONE 4.0。图片由LG AI研究院提供。

崔建议政府考虑在现有模式的基础上进行改进，而不是从零开始。

“升级现有模型可能比从头开始开发新模型更快，”他说道，并告诫说，如果这两个项目使用相同的数据集，则应避免在数据和其他资源上重复支出。

他还呼吁更好地利用过去一年在国家人工智能项目竞赛中积累的能力和模型。

“一款车型的用途不会因为排名较低就消失；轻型车型在不同的服务区域有其自身的用途，而前沿型车型也有其自身的用途，”他说道，并指出该国需要具备前沿型、轻型和行业专用型等各方面的能力。

“韩国需要的是能够为各个领域提供示范模式，而不是仅仅拥有一个前沿示范模式。”

对于仍在现有项目中竞争的三支队伍——LG AI Research、SK Telecom 和 Upstage——来说，眼下的问题是，在最终阶段评估之后，该项目将如何发展。

政府表示，将继续支持两家入围决赛的公司，但正在考虑调整支持的规模和形式。政府还在考虑为加入前沿人工智能计划的入围公司提供激励措施或优先权，同时制定人工智能应用推广方案，旨在扩大自主人工智能模型在各行业和公共部门的应用。

一位业内人士表示，政府的双轨制方法可能对参与企业既有利也有挑战。

这位官员表示：“依次开展政府主导的项目可能会产生协同效应，但对于参与公司而言，在考虑如何参与每个项目时，也可能造成困惑。”

韩国明年将启动一项价值35亿美元的前沿人工智能项目

Motif在淘汰赛后对国家人工智能模型项目提出了挑战