The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) is set to launch a dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) bureau on the 30th, according to reports on the 11th. By expanding and reorganizing the existing structure, the aim is to put full drive behind the "manufacturing AI transition (M.AX)" that Minister Kim Jung-kwan has cited as the No. 1 policy priority.
ChosunBiz found that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) and the Ministry of Economy and Finance recently approved a reorganization of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) to establish a tentatively named "AI Bureau." The name of the bureau has not been finalized, and MOTI is receiving feedback from related ministries, including the Ministry of Science and ICT.
The reorganization is said to reflect Minister Kim's commitment. On Nov. 14, at a press briefing on a Korea-U.S. tariff negotiation memorandum of understanding (MOU), Minister Kim said, "Even during the negotiations, the top thing I paid attention to was 'M.AX,'" and added, "Once the negotiations ended, I wanted to put all my energy into M.AX." M.AX refers to a policy to boost productivity by building an AI automation system that learns and makes decisions based on data across manufacturing production sites.
Within the AI Bureau, the Industrial AI Innovation Division, an autonomous unit under the Office of Industrial Policy, will be assigned first. An autonomous unit is a director-level organization established and operated using temporary headcount, and each ministry can set up up to two autonomously. The Industrial AI Innovation Division was established on Dec. 29 last year to formulate and implement policies to promote the use of AI in manufacturing.
Another AI-related organization within MOTI, the "Manufacturing AI Diffusion Task Force (TF)," will also be placed under the AI Bureau. The TF, launched in July, is a team-level body formed by seconding some staff from within the Office of Industrial Policy, including the Machinery and Robotics Manufacturing Policy Division. MOTI will expand and reorganize it into a full division.
In addition, MOTI plans to add at least one more division to complete the AI Bureau's structure. It is seeking ways to establish organizations that may not require approval procedures from MOIS and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF), including by using the autonomous unit system.
Meanwhile, MOTI also won approval to establish an Industrial Security and Resources Office to strengthen industrial security functions. The new office will bring together three bureaus: the Resources Industry Policy Bureau, formerly under the Energy Policy Office (transferred to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment in Oct.), the Industrial Supply Chain Policy Bureau under the Office of Industrial Policy, and the Trade Security Policy Bureau under the Office of Trade and Investment. The Nuclear Power Strategy Planning Bureau, which, like the Resources Industry Policy Bureau, had been part of the Energy Policy Office, will be transferred to the Office of Trade and Investment. The revised organization will take effect on the 30th after vice ministers' and Cabinet meetings.