President Lee Jae-myung, on a tour of the United States and South America, unveiled the "San Francisco AI Declaration" at an artificial intelligence (AI) summit held in San Francisco on the 25th, outlining his AI industry strategy and vision. "We will make Korea an irreplaceable core nation in the AI supply chain," he said. It is an ambitious plan to spread AI most rapidly across manufacturing sites and public services, fostering the country as a testbed for global companies. At the event, corporate leaders including Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Euisun Chung signed ultra-large supply contracts worth 950 billion dollars (approximately 1,375 trillion won) with U.S. companies in advanced industries spanning semiconductors, AI, and data centers.
The president's bold AI declaration and the companies' astronomical supply contracts are a sign that, beyond the level of individual firms, Korea has emerged as a core axis of the global semiconductor and AI supply chain. In particular, the fact that global companies pre-emptively signed large-scale contracts with Korean firms was made possible by Korean companies' unrivaled technology and solid supply chain ecosystem. The government's declaration of its policy commitment to realizing status as one of the world's top three AI powers—including pursuing three mega projects worth 4,700 trillion won—is also working favorably for the advance of Korean companies.
However, one must squarely recognize that the San Francisco AI Declaration could end up as an empty slogan unless it is backed by strong execution, including deregulation and enhanced labor flexibility. For the supply and investment commitments made with global companies to proceed without the slightest hitch, large-scale projects such as the Yongin semiconductor cluster—not to mention the three mega projects—must accelerate further. If we let our attention wander or grow complacent even for a moment, we will lose "AI leadership" in an instant.
Above all, the Mega Special Zone Special Act, which includes expanded regulatory exemptions and tax support, must be passed quickly. There must be no case in which bill processing is delayed by partisan strife between the ruling and opposition parties, leaving business progress indefinitely postponed or casting doubt among foreign investors. In a survey by the Korea Enterprises Federation, "exemption from and deferral of core regulations (42.9%)" was cited as the top policy priority for the success of the mega special zones. Now that companies have boldly taken the first step toward becoming an AI powerhouse, it is the government and ruling party's turn to step up with policy support through faster regulatory innovation and enhanced labor flexibility. One must keep in mind that the success or failure of AI hinges not on a lavish feast of words but on earnest "policy execution."
