Ahn Cheol-soo, a candidate for the People Power Party presidential primary, and Lee Jun-seok, a candidate for the Reform Party presidential election, voiced their opinions on scientific issues such as artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors. This is interpreted as the two candidates, once political rivals, seeking policy cooperation with AI and science and technology as common ground.
Candidate Ahn and Candidate Lee attended a debate held in front of exit 1 of Pangyo Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on the afternoon of the 25th.
This debate was made possible by a proposal from Candidate Lee. Pangyo is Candidate Ahn's electoral district. Before the debate began, the two candidates embraced each other, showcasing their close relationship.
The two candidates have been known for their unfavorable relationship since they faced off in the 20th General Election in 2016 in Nowon, Seoul, representing different political parties.
Candidate Ahn noted, "Korea must develop its own AI model," explaining that "because each country has a different culture, a single AI model cannot reflect the culture of all countries and provide answers."
In response, Candidate Lee also expressed his agreement, saying, "We need to carefully consider what industries we will apply our own AI model to."
The two candidates also agreed that securing data for AI learning is important. Candidate Lee said, "We need to develop AI by training it with as much data as possible, as long as it does not infringe on personal privacy." Candidate Ahn added, "We can enhance AI performance by gathering not only modern data but also past data such as records from the Joseon Dynasty."
They also shared the same opinion on the need for support for the semiconductor industry. The two candidates argued that to avoid losing dominance to countries like China and Taiwan, focus should be on developing AI-specialized semiconductors, including high bandwidth memory (HBM).
In the political arena, as the global competition for AI and semiconductor dominance intensifies, it is believed that the two candidates, who have backgrounds in science and engineering, conducted this debate to emphasize their differentiation from other presidential contenders.
Candidate Ahn promised to bring Korea into the top three in the AI world as part of his presidential campaign. To achieve this, he said he would cultivate 1 million science and technology talents and increase the proportion of research and development (R&D) investment to 5% of gross domestic product (GDP).
Candidate Lee also responded at the time, stating, "Whenever people like former Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung or former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon, who have no understanding of science and technology, speak, I see Congressman Ahn making appropriate points and remarks."
Meanwhile, domestic generative AI company FortyTwo's CEO Kim Dong-hwan moderated the debate. About 100 supporters of the two candidates and local workers gathered at the site, creating a bustling atmosphere.