I expect that if Korea, a powerhouse in shipbuilding, automobiles and semiconductor manufacturing as well as an information technology (IT) leader, leverages all these ecosystems, it could become No. 1 in the era of physical artificial intelligence (AI).
Hwang Jeong-a of the Democratic Party of Korea said this in congratulatory remarks at SMARTCLOUD SHOW 2026, the country's largest tech conference, held at the Westin Josun Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul, on the 26th. Hwang, who serves on the Science. ICT. Broadcasting. and Communications Committee, is also the Chairperson of the Democratic Party of Korea Special Committee on Science and Technology Innovation and the secretary of the AI Strong Nation Committee.
Hwang said, "This is truly an era of great AI transformation," adding, "The Lee Jae-myung administration has made becoming one of the top three AI powers and one of the top five science and technology powers national policy tasks, and all resources are being aligned toward those goals." Hwang went on, "We may be able to rank first within the third-tier group, pushed by the immense scale of the United States and China, but it could be difficult to threaten the top two," adding, "However, I hope we can widen the gap with other third-ranked countries and become a solid No. 3."
Hwang stressed that corporations, the government and academia must move together to achieve this. Hwang noted, "All players, including large corporations, mid-sized companies and ventures, must work together organically," and pointed to the importance of legislation to support related industries. Hwang added, "The National Assembly enacted a basic AI act, and I sponsored a special act to establish AI data centers (AIDC), which already passed the plenary session," and said, "I also introduced a special act on physical AI in June this year."
The AIDC special act was prepared by merging six related bills, including the one led by Hwang. It passed the National Assembly plenary session in May, was promulgated in June and will take effect in March next year. A key feature is the introduction of a "timeout system," under which various permits and approvals such as power system impact assessments and building permits needed for AIDC construction can be applied for in one batch to the Ministry of Science and ICT, and if the relevant agencies do not issue a rejection notice within a set period, the permits are deemed approved.
Hwang also introduced, "The AIDC special act includes a timeout system under which the Ministry of Science and ICT can receive, in a single batch, the 'spiderweb regulations' that you find extremely burdensome, and if a set period passes, the permits are deemed approved."
The Special Act on the Promotion and Support of Physical Artificial Intelligence Development, which Hwang introduced on June 5, provides grounds for designating pilot zones for the demonstration and commercialization of physical AI technologies, building training data, performance certification and regulatory sandboxes. It is currently under discussion at the Science. ICT. Broadcasting. and Communications Committee.
Hwang said, "We are creating a path that does not yet exist, so I believe every insight you share is part of the process of making that path together," diagnosing, "This year, next year and the next two to three years are a very important golden time for Korea." Hwang added, "In this period, we will pool our wisdom with you, and the legislature will work alongside you," and said, "We will back your work in the National Assembly with legislation, budgets and policies."
Now in its 16th year, SMARTCLOUD SHOW is hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and co-organized by ChosunBiz and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA). This year's event, under the theme "AI moves the world," addresses key industry issues such as physical AI, security, Robotics, semiconductors and AI infrastructure.