What did Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon say about Korea's AI development pace?

Bae said Korea cannot afford to slow down the pace of AI development. He added that a country like Korea, which is still catching up and trying to build new markets, faces a different challenge from countries already ahead.

Why did Bae Kyung-hoon warn against slowing AI development in Korea?

He said the gap could expand beyond technology into industrial competitiveness, national security and future growth. He argued that Korea must keep moving while also ensuring responsible development.

What safety message did the science minister pair with his call for faster AI development?

Bae said efforts to ensure safety and trust should come alongside the pace of technological development. His remarks contrasted with calls from OpenAI and Anthropic executives to slow AI progress for public safety.

Korea cannot afford to slow down AI development: science minister

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Summary

Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said Korea cannot afford to slow down AI development, while stressing that responsible development and safety must advance together. He argued that countries without frontier AI models risk falling behind not only technologically, but also in industrial competitiveness, national security and future growth. His comments came amid a global debate over slowing AI progress for public safety.

Key Facts

Bae said the gap between countries with frontier AI models and those without could widen into industrial competitiveness, national security and future growth.
He said Korea is a nation that is catching up while trying to create new markets, so slowing AI development is not an option.
Bae stressed that safety and trust efforts should move in tandem with technological development.
The comments came as executives from major U.S. AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic have called for slower AI advancement for public safety.
U.S. President Donald Trump called concerns about AI safety a hoax in a phone call with Nvidia chief Jensen Huang during an industry summit this week.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 16, 2026 5:29 pm KST

Science Minster Bae Kyung-hoon speaks at an event for a government-backed project to develop artificial intelligence models accessible to everyone in Seoul, Sept. 4. Courtesy of Ministry of Science and ICT

Korea "cannot afford" to slow down its artificial intelligence (AI) progress, the country's science minister said Wednesday, but noted the emphasis should be put on responsible development rather than the speed of advancement itself.

"It is an entirely different matter for a country already ahead to adjust its pace, than for a nation that is catching up while simultaneously having to create new markets to slow down," Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon wrote in a social media post.

"We cannot afford to slow down the pace of AI development," he stressed.

The minister said the gap between countries that have secured AI frontier models approaching the level of human intelligence and those who have not could eventually extend beyond merely a technological gap and into other areas, such as the country's industrial competitiveness, national security and even its future growth.

But Bae expressed a cautionary approach to unconditional acceleration, stressing efforts to ensure safety and trust should also come in tandem with the pace of technological development.

The science minister's comments come amid a global debate over whether the industry should decelerate the speed of AI development.

Executives from big AI companies in the United States, including those from OpenAI and Anthropic, have called for the industry to slow down the pace of advancement to ensure public safety.

In contrast, U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed a different opinion, calling concerns about AI safety "a hoax" in a phone call with Nvidia's chief, Jensen Huang, during an industry summit this week.

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