South Koreans exhibit a high degree of optimism regarding artificial intelligence, with only 16% expressing more concern than excitement, the lowest among 25 surveyed countries. This positive sentiment is reflected in daily life, where a majority of Koreans utilize AI for personal assistance or work-related tasks. The nation is actively exploring and testing various AI applications, including webcomics, virtual K-pop idols, and even humanoid monks.
The South Korean government is also a significant proponent of AI integration. Agencies are deploying AI textbooks in schools and AI eldercare robots in welfare centers, demonstrating a commitment to leveraging the technology across different sectors. This embrace of AI is viewed as integral to modernizing the country and solidifying its global standing. The government has explicitly designated AI-powered advancements as a key driver for economic growth and has made substantial investments and promotions in this area.
South Korea’s historical trajectory demonstrates a consistent pattern of technological advancement. In the 1970s, the nation focused on manufacturing steel and ships, transitioning to semiconductors in the 1980s, broadband in the 1990s, and smartphones in the 2000s. This legacy positions companies like Samsung and SK Hynix as critical players in the current AI landscape, as they supply the majority of the world’s high-bandwidth memory chips essential for training AI models. The economic impact of these companies is significant, with South Korea’s main equity index, Kospi, reaching record highs in 2026, largely due to the soaring share prices of Samsung and SK Hynix.
President Lee Jae-myung has set an ambitious goal for South Korea to become one of the top three AI powers. To achieve this, the Presidential Council on National AI Strategy was established to secure computing power and fund the development of homegrown AI models. The government actively supports semiconductor companies like Samsung and SK Hynix through incentives such as tax credits and low-interest financing. In 2024, South Korea passed the AI Basic Act, one of the first comprehensive pieces of legislation aimed at promoting AI development with a regulatory approach that encourages innovation.
Further underscoring the national prioritization of AI, 70% of South Koreans believe that advancing science and medicine through AI innovation is more important than regulating industries. This focus on progress has led to significant achievements, with South Korea ranking third globally in the number of notable AI models in 2026. However, this rapid advancement has not been without its challenges. In 2025, the government faced criticism for AI textbooks that contained factual inaccuracies and raised data privacy concerns. Additionally, the deployment of AI has sparked concerns among the workforce, as seen with the Hyundai Motor Group union’s protest against the introduction of Atlas humanoid robots, highlighting anxieties about potential job displacement.
Despite the widespread optimism, a significant portion of the South Korean population, 64%, expresses concern that AI could lead to job losses. This sentiment was evident in the protest by the Hyundai Motor Group union following the company’s announcement to deploy Atlas humanoid robots. The union emphasized the need for labor-management agreements before any new technology involving robots could be introduced into the workplace, indicating a desire for a balanced approach to technological adoption that considers the impact on human labor.
