In a decisive move underscoring South Korea’s commitment to artificial intelligence, President Lee Jae-myung on Monday nominated Dr Bae Kyung-hoon, a leading AI authority and head of LG AI Research, as Minister of Science and ICT. The appointment is widely seen as a strategic pivot to fast-track the country’s ambition to become one of the world’s foremost AI powers.
The nomination of Dr Bae follows closely on the 15 June appointment of Ha Jung-woo, head of Naver’s AI Innovation Centre, to the newly established position of Senior Secretary for AI and Future Planning. This senior Blue House role is designed to steer AI-related investment and national policy coordination.
Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik confirmed the decision reflects a high-level commitment to bolstering South Korea’s global AI competitiveness. “We expect Bae to strengthen AI competitiveness alongside Ha Jung-woo,” he stated.
President Lee has pledged a monumental investment of over ₩100 trillion (approximately USD 73.5 billion) through public-private partnerships aimed at accelerating the country’s AI ecosystem. The enlistment of top executives from major conglomerates such as LG and Naver signals a profound integration of private-sector expertise into national policy.
Dr Hwang Yong-sik, professor at Sejong University College of Business and Economics, affirmed the strategic significance of these appointments. “There is growing recognition that relying solely on the public sector for AI development has its limitations,” he said. “While the government can provide direction, true progress depends on the deep involvement of the private sector.”
Dr Bae brings an extensive background that bridges startups, academia, and corporate R&D. His early career included a role at Samsung Thales, a now-defunct joint venture between Samsung Techwin and French defence company Thales. He later joined SK Telecom’s Future Technology R&D Centre before moving to LG in 2016.
At LG, Dr Bae held senior positions across its key technology subsidiaries and, in 2020, became the founding president of LG AI Research. Under his leadership, the organisation launched South Korea’s first hyperscale language model, Exaone, in 2021. It was commercialised in 2023, and an open-source third iteration was released last year. Most recently, in March 2025, his team debuted Exaone Deep, the country’s first interference AI model.
Beyond the corporate sphere, Dr Bae has contributed to national policy as a government adviser on AI governance and data privacy. His rare combination of technical depth and leadership experience positions him uniquely in the fast-evolving field.
“Only a handful of professionals in South Korea can handle a frontier model from end to end, and Bae is one of them,” noted Dr Choi Byung-ho, professor at Korea University’s Human-inspired AI Research Lab. “We are in a race against time. The pace of AI development demands rapid, expert decision-making. This is not a role for a generalist or a bureaucrat.”
Pending confirmation by Parliament, Dr Bae will assume oversight of the Ministry of Science and ICT, with responsibility for the nation’s scientific and digital infrastructure policy at a time when global competition in AI intensifies.
-The Korea Herald
