en.Wedoany.com Reported - The core personnel structure of South Korea's artificial intelligence policy has been reorganized, with former Presidential Office AI Future Planning Chief Secretary Ha Jung-woo (하정우) appointed as the Standing Vice Chairman of the National AI Strategy Committee, succeeding Im Moon-young (임문영), who left to run in the Gwangju Gwangsan by-election. Previously, Lee Ki-hyuk (이기혁), the head of Amazon Web Services' Korean startup ecosystem, was appointed as the Presidential Office's AI Future Planning Chief Secretary. The AI Three Major Strengths strategy of the Lee Jae-myung administration has thus formed a new structure with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon (배경훈), AI Chief Secretary Lee Ki-hyuk, and Strategic Committee Standing Vice Chairman Ha Jung-woo as the triangular axis.
Ha Jung-woo is expected to formally assume Im Moon-young's duties shortly. Im left the Strategic Committee early last month, leaving the position vacant for over a month. Ha stepped down from his role as Presidential Office Chief Secretary in April to run as a candidate in the Busan North Gap by-election but lost in the election held on the 3rd of this month, after which he reduced his public activities.
Ha Jung-woo previously served as the head of Naver Cloud's AI Innovation Center, overseeing topics such as ultra-large AI, sovereign AI, industrial AI transformation, and graphics processor infrastructure. From last year to April this year, he led the drafting of national AI policy blueprints at the Presidential Office, including the AI Three Major Strengths strategy, self-developed foundational models, AI data centers, and the K-Moon Shot project.
Industry insiders interpret Ha's transfer to the Strategic Committee as a personnel move aimed at restoring the continuity of AI policy, which was disrupted by election-related personnel shifts. After Ha's resignation, the absence of a core designer during the implementation phase of the AI Three Major Strengths strategy raised concerns within the industry. With his return to the Strategic Committee, he will once again serve as a central axis of the government's AI policy outside the Presidential Office.
An industry insider stated that Ha Jung-woo is someone who understands both the technical background of AI policy and the government's strategy. His appointment as Standing Vice Chairman of the National AI Strategy Committee is expected to help re-secure the policy continuity that was shaken by election-related personnel changes.
Following this personnel reshuffle, the government's AI policy is expected to focus more on execution and promotion. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon will oversee execution projects such as self-developed foundational models, GPU infrastructure, and the national computing center. Chief Secretary Lee Ki-hyuk will coordinate the private startup ecosystem and global cooperation strategies within the Presidential Office. With Ha Jung-woo joining the National AI Strategy Committee, he will play a bridging role connecting the AI Three Major Strengths strategy with public-private collaboration and cross-departmental coordination.
AI policies promoted by the government that aim to make a tangible impact on citizens—such as "AI for All," one AI agent per person, and the upgrade of the AI National Secretary—require initial implementation in the public sector before spreading to the private and industrial sectors. As Standing Vice Chairman of the Strategic Committee, Ha Jung-woo is expected to focus more on coordinating the role between technical strategy and field application.
The nomination of Minister of SMEs and Startups Han Sung-sook (한성숙) as the candidate for Prime Minister has also added momentum to the AI Three Major Strengths strategy. Han, a former CEO of Naver and Minister of SMEs and Startups, has experience handling platforms, startups, digital transformation of small business owners, and the venture capital ecosystem. The Prime Minister's Office is positioned to coordinate interdepartmental policy alignment, budget formulation, and regulatory reform discussions, which could influence the pace of AI policy implementation. Once the Prime Minister appointment is finalized, Han is expected to integrate, at the Prime Minister's Office level, the execution axis of Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, the global ecosystem axis of Chief Secretary Lee Ki-hyuk, and the coordination axis of Ha Jung-woo at the Strategic Committee.
An industry insider noted that the current government AI strategy requires simultaneous progress in technology development, infrastructure investment, startup nurturing, public service innovation, manufacturing field application, and regional transformation. Only when the execution capability of Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, the global ecosystem experience of Chief Secretary Lee Ki-hyuk, and the strategic coordination ability of Ha Jung-woo work together can the AI Three Major Strengths strategy be effective.
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