Kim Yong-beom, Presidential Chief of Policy at the Blue House, proposed a multilateral cooperation strategy with middle-power nations as South Korea's approach to artificial intelligence development amid US-China AI hegemony competition. Kim posted the proposal on his Facebook on the 23rd, outlining a vision where Korea builds AI operational models for public services such as healthcare, education, and administration, then shares these systems with multiple countries. The strategy addresses Korea's challenge of competing independently against the US and China, given its domestic market of 50 million people compared to the massive markets and data accumulation capabilities of the two AI superpowers.
Kim Yong-beom Proposes Multilateral AI Cooperation Model
Kim Yong-beom published a lengthy post titled 'AI Era, the Nation Connects the World' on his Facebook on the 23rd. He characterized the current global AI competition as a hegemony battle between the US and China, while diagnosing that Korea faces practical difficulties competing in the same manner. "Korea's domestic market is only 50 million people," Kim stated, adding that "it is difficult for Korea to compete at an independent scale when the US and China accumulate data and capital based on their massive domestic markets." He emphasized the need to shift strategy from "how to win alone" to "how to create a framework for moving together."
The alternative Kim presented involves creating a new AI ecosystem with middle-power nations sharing similar concerns, rather than pursuing diplomatic balance between the US and China. He mentioned that countries including the UK, Japan, and Canada also find it difficult to gain competitive advantage in AI with their domestic markets alone, and face challenges avoiding technological dependence when relying on global big tech companies. Kim explained that a cooperation model involving these nations is necessary.
Public Service AI Systems Target Developing and Middle-Power Nations
Kim proposed that Korea could assume a new role in the global AI ecosystem by first building AI utilization models in public service sectors including healthcare, education, and administration, then co-developing these with other countries including developing nations. "The connection Korea must create is not a geographic crossroads but an operational method for systems," Kim emphasized, stating that Korea "must become a country that creates operational methods, not a hub."
He diagnosed that while global AI discussions focus on regulation and safety, what many countries actually need are practical models that use AI to solve healthcare gaps, educational disparities, and complex administrative procedures. Kim explained that if Korea implements public service AI first and makes it available for multiple countries to utilize, it could become a new standard that the international community voluntarily adopts.
Kim identified developing and middle-power nations, rather than the US or China, as cooperation targets. Citing examples including Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, he proposed a co-development model where Korea supports the construction of AI systems tailored to local languages and administrative systems while leaving data sovereignty with the respective countries. The logic holds that Korea secures diverse languages and public data while partner countries build AI ecosystems not dependent on specific big tech companies, creating a mutually beneficial structure.
Kim projected that the gigawatt-level AI data center currently under construction domestically will serve as core infrastructure supporting this international cooperation. He stated that if domestic data centers perform the role of Asia's computational hub, developing countries can utilize AI services without building their own infrastructure at massive cost, while Korea secures stable computing demand in a virtuous cycle.
Presidential Trip to Connect AI Technology and Supply Chain Cooperation
Observers inside and outside political circles interpret that this vision aligns with the upcoming trip itinerary. President Lee Jae-myung plans to meet with CEOs from OpenAI, NVIDIA, Anthropic, and Broadcom in San Francisco to discuss AI technology and investment cooperation, then visit Brazil, Chile, and Argentina in sequence to expand critical mineral and supply chain cooperation. The assessment emerges that Kim preemptively presented the concept of a 'connecting nation' as the direction for this trip, which links AI technology, capital, and critical mineral supply chains into a single strategy.
A Blue House official stated that "AI competition is no longer just technological competition but competition combining supply chains, capital, and diplomacy," adding that "this trip also has significance as the starting point for new AI diplomacy connecting technology, resources, and middle-power cooperation."
FAQ
What AI strategy did Kim Yong-beom propose on the 23rd?
Kim Yong-beom proposed a multilateral cooperation strategy where South Korea builds AI operational models for public services including healthcare, education, and administration, then shares these systems with middle-power and developing nations rather than competing independently against the US and China.
Why does Kim Yong-beom say Korea cannot compete alone in AI?
Kim stated that Korea's domestic market is only 50 million people, making it difficult to compete at an independent scale when the US and China accumulate data and capital based on their massive domestic markets. He emphasized the need to shift from winning alone to creating frameworks for moving together with similar nations.
Which countries does Kim Yong-beom identify as cooperation targets?
Kim identified middle-power nations including the UK, Japan, and Canada, as well as developing countries including Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam as cooperation targets for building shared AI systems while preserving each country's data sovereignty.
