Korea to bolster ties with Asia-Pacific scientists
Korea is bringing in scientists from the Asia-Pacific region to bolster scientific networks as the country hosts the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and meetings throughout the year.
The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on Sunday that it will invite some 100 scientists from APEC members through July to offer them opportunities to experience Korea's research environments and policies and carry out joint research with Korean scientists as a part of the country's efforts to support the APEC Scientist Exchange Initiative.
The APEC Scientist Exchange Initiative is designed to strengthen R&D capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region by simplifying the immigration and visa application process to minimize inconveniences for scientists to cross borders for short-term exchange programs.
According to the ministry, there will be two programs -- one, which is guided by Korean mentors over the span of 10 days or less to plan future research and the other that allows joint research activities at a domestic laboratory for 90 days or less.
The first program, which will cover physics, is set to begin on Monday and last until June 6. A total of 21 researchers from Malaysia, Peru and Thailand will take part in various activities, including policy exchanges for scientific technology, lectures, mentoring and a tour of the Institute for Basic Science's Center for Quantum Nanoscience at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
'We hope that the invitation will serve as a chance to bolster scientific technology capabilities through the exchange of APEC scientists,' said Hwang Sung-hoon, director general for the International Cooperation Bureau at the MSIT. 'We will continue to put efforts into establishing a cooperative system for research to advance the APEC region based on talented personnel.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
![[Rumman Chowdhury] Sovereign AI: A new frontier of national ambition](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F07%2F09%2Fnews-p.v1.20250709.05104fae08db49b48fbff54b41283daf_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
![[Rumman Chowdhury] Sovereign AI: A new frontier of national ambition](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fkoreaherald.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Korea Herald
an hour ago
- Korea Herald
[Rumman Chowdhury] Sovereign AI: A new frontier of national ambition
Should AI be a public good, shaped by local values, or a technology controlled by a handful of geographically-limited tech giants? The rise of 'sovereign AI' -- locally developed, government-backed artificial intelligence systems -- reflects a world wrestling with the urgent questions of power, autonomy, and identity in the digital age. This push is not merely about technological prowess; it is a response to deep geopolitical anxieties, economic ambitions, and cultural imperatives. The geopolitical landscape is shifting rapidly. The US-China rivalry over AI supremacy has made clear that technology is now a front line in global power struggles. Smaller countries, wary of becoming pawns in this contest, are investing heavily in their own AI capabilities. Brazil and India, for example, have collectively committed billions to build sovereign AI infrastructures, fearing that reliance on foreign technology could compromise their security and autonomy. Across Southeast Asia and the Middle East, national strategies increasingly prioritize AI sovereignty, not just to keep pace with global powers, but to avoid being left behind in a world embroiled in an AI arms race. Other Asian nations have emerged as major players in sovereign AI, with some viewing them as a 'buffer' between global hegemonic powers China and US. South Korea is aggressively pursuing sovereign AI to establish technological autonomy and cultural relevance, anchored by a landmark $735 billion investment pledge from President Lee Jae Myung. This strategy centers on developing domestically tailored AI systems trained on Korean language data and historical context, moving beyond reliance on foreign platforms. Key architect Ha Jung-woo, appointed as the nation's first Chief Secretary for AI Future Strategy, advocates for "sovereign AI that has learned from Korea's culture and history," prioritizing infrastructure like 5,000+ GPUs for selected "national AI champions". Crucial to this vision is the SK Group-Amazon Web Services partnership building South Korea's largest AI data center in Ulsan, alongside legislative foundations like the AI Basic Act (effective January 2026). As the EU's peer in comprehensive AI regulation, this law establishes governance for "high-impact" AI systems while promoting public-private collaboration. Importantly, government-supported AI projects will be open-sourced for broad societal use. The initiative targets strategic sectors like semiconductors and biotechnology, aligning with national goals to rank among the world's top three AI powers by 2030. This includes expanding GPU capacity 15-fold and achieving 70% industrial AI adoption. Security dimensions are addressed through the National AI Security Consultative Group, though the AI Basic Act explicitly excludes military applications from its scope. While open-source frameworks and regional coalitions offer pragmatic pathways, South Korea's sovereign AI ambitions remain a high-stakes gamble balancing cultural preservation against technical and economic constraints. Structural challenges persist -- limited Korean-language datasets, GPU procurement hurdles, and dependence on foreign infrastructure threaten scalability. For all sovereign AI developers, the economic stakes are enormous. AI is projected to add trillions to the global economy by the end of the decade. Nations like Saudi Arabia and Malaysia are pouring resources into local AI ecosystems, determined to capture this value for themselves rather than see it flow to Silicon Valley or Shenzhen. The message is clear: countries want to be creators, not just consumers, of the AI revolution. This lesson was hard-learned from the early days of the internet, which was dominated by Silicon-Valley based search engines, shopping websites, and social media platforms. Local leaders now seek to foster homegrown talent, build domestic industries, and ensure that the economic benefits of AI accrue to their own citizens. Culturally, the need for sovereign AI is even more urgent. Most of the world's leading AI models are trained on English-language data, leaving non-English speakers, and their unique cultural contexts, at a disadvantage. Indonesia's massive Bahasa-speaking population and Saudi Arabia's Arabic-first models are early examples of how countries are tailoring AI to their own languages and traditions. These efforts are not just about better translation or customer service; they are about ensuring that AI reflects and respects local values, histories, and identities. But building truly sovereign AI is no small feat. It requires not just advanced algorithms, but also robust data infrastructure, massive computing power, local talent and effective governance. The European Union's Gaia-X and India's Bhashini initiative are pioneering efforts to create secure, locally controlled data environments. Denmark is investing in domestic supercomputers, while Singapore and Taiwan are developing their own large language models. In addition, many nations are capitalizing on the Trump administration's purge of scientific talent to draw talent away from the United States. These projects are ambitious, but they are also fraught with complexities. The technical and economic hurdles are formidable. Training a state-of-the-art AI model can cost hundreds of millions of dollars. This price tag is prohibitive for most nations. Maintaining sovereign AI infrastructure is often more expensive than relying on global cloud providers. And while some countries, like Japan, are pursuing hybrid models that combine local development with international partnerships, others risk creating 'AI islands' isolated from global innovation. Critics note Malaysia's sovereign AI delivers 2.3x slower performance than global counterparts despite heavy investment, highlighting viability concerns. Ethically, government ownership of AI raises a host of thorny questions. On one hand, public control could ensure that AI serves the common good, free from the profit motives and opaque algorithms of private corporations. On the other hand, it raises the specter of state surveillance and censorship. China's Social Credit System, Hungary's illegal public monitoring of LGBTQ+ allies and the UAE's use of AI to monitor government communications are cautionary tales of how sovereign AI can be weaponized for social control. There are also concerns about bias: nationally curated datasets may reflect the biases of majority populations, leaving marginalized groups behind. In addition, these models may serve as tools for propaganda by current political parties -- similar to how Elon Musk has publicly declared his intent to influence Grok, his AI model. The path forward is not clear-cut. Absolute AI sovereignty may be an illusion in an interconnected world, but so is complete dependence on foreign technology. Some countries are exploring regional coalitions, like ASEAN's shared AI cloud, or open-source collaborations that balance local needs with global innovation. France, for example, is focusing on sector-specific sovereignty in healthcare, while Indonesia is building on open-source frameworks to create models that are both locally relevant and globally compatible. Ultimately, the quest for sovereign AI is about more than technology. It is a reflection of a world in flux, where nations are reasserting their identities and interests in the face of rapid change. The challenge is to strike a balance between autonomy and collaboration, innovation and control, national ambition and global responsibility. In the end, the most successful countries may be those that can navigate this delicate equilibrium, building AI systems that are both locally rooted and globally connected.
Korea Herald
8 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Samsung pushes foldable frontier with AI-powered Z Flip7, Fold7
From AI chips to larger displays, new foldable phones deliver flagship upgrades with modest price hikes Samsung Electronics unveiled its new slimmer, lighter and even more advanced artificial intelligence-powered foldable phones -- the Galaxy Z Flip7 and Z Fold7 -- in New York on Wednesday. It marks the first time in three years that the Korean tech giant has held an unveiling event in the US city since the release of the Galaxy Z Flip4 and Fold4 in August 2022. As the venue for the biggest product launch in the latter half of this year, Samsung chose Duggal Greenhouse in Brooklyn, inviting some 1,200 journalists and industry people from around the globe. The site regularly hosts major fashion shows and auto shows. 'The Galaxy Z Flip7 combines a compact design with powerful mobile AI features. The Galaxy Z Fold7 merges advanced hardware with AI to deliver the most sophisticated smartphone experience ever introduced by Samsung,' said Roh Tae-moon, acting head of the Device eXperience division. The vertically folding Galaxy Z Flip7 is the first in the series to feature a 4.1-inch cover screen, called the Flex Window, an upgrade from its predecessor's 3.4-inch cover screen. It boasts a slimmer 1.25-millimeter bezel and measures 13.7mm thick when folded, with a lightweight design at 188 grams -- maximizing portability and ease of use. For the first time in the Z Flip series, the device is equipped with a powerful 4,300 milliampere-hour battery paired with Samsung's latest 3-nanometer processor. It also supports Samsung DeX, allowing users to seamlessly connect the Z Flip7 to external display devices for enhanced productivity. Camera capabilities have also seen a major upgrade. The Z Flip7 features a 50-megapixel wide-angle camera and a 12MP ultra-wide dual camera system. With real-time filters and the dual preview function -- allowing simulaneous preview on both the cover and main displays -- users can capture high-quality selfies with ease. The horizontally-folding Galaxy Z Fold7 is the slimmest and lightest model in the Galaxy Z Fold lineup, measuring 8.9mm when folded and 4.2mm when unfolded, and weighing 215 grams. The device boasts Samsung's largest smartphone display yet -- a main 8.0-inch screen that is 11 percent larger than its predecessor. It also features a 6.5-inch cover display with a ratio of 21:9, offering a user experience comparable to traditional bar-type smartphones even when folded. A newly introduced Armor Flex Hinge enhances durability by evenly distributing external impacts while maintaining a sleek profile. The main display is reinforced with a titanium layer, further boosting structural integrity. Powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset, the Z Fold7 delivers a 41 percent improvement in neural processing unit performance, 38 percent in central processing unit performance and 26 percent in graphics processing unit performance compared to the previous generation -- ensuring top-tier speed and efficiency for demanding tasks. The Z Fold7 is also equipped with a 200MP wide-angle camera, offering a professional-grade photography experience typical of the high-end Ultra models of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S series smartphones. Additionally, a 100-degree ultra-wide selfie camera allows users to easily capture high-quality shots with minimal effort. The Galaxy Z Flip7 and Z Fold7 will be released in Korea on July 25, with seven-day preorders starting Tuesday. The price tag of the Z Flip7 ranges between 1.49 million won ($1,085) and 1.64 million won depending on the amount of storage, while the Z Fold7 is priced between 2.38 million won and 2.93 million won. Color options for the Z Flip7 are blue shadow, coral red and jet black, while the Z Fold7 will be available in blue shadow, silver shadow and jet black. For both models, a mint color will be available for customers who purchase the phones at the company's online shopping mall or at Samsung Gangnam, its flagship store in southern Seoul. At Wednesday's event, Samsung also debuted its thinnest smartwatches -- the Galaxy Watch8 and Galaxy Watch8 Classic. Compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy Watch7, the new model is 11 percent slimmer and boasts a display brightness of up to 3,000 nits -- 50 percent brighter than the previous generation. The Galaxy Watch8 models also become the first smartwatches to feature an antioxidant index function. Users can measure their carotenoid levels -- an indicator of antioxidant presence -- in five seconds. Pricing for the Galaxy Watch8 models varies based on size and connectivity options, ranging from 419,000 won to 489,500 won. The Galaxy Watch8 Classic is priced between 569,000 won and 599,500 won.
Korea Herald
16 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Yeongjong Island to become home to W16tr theme park
A mega-sized theme park is set to rise on Yeongjong Island, home to South Korea's Incheon Airport, which is poised to become one of the largest and most advanced theme parks in the world. KIT World, the project's developer, said Tuesday that massive foreign investment has been confirmed for the project, known as the '5D Theme Park.' According to the company, foreign investors have pledged a total of 16.4 trillion won ($12.6 billion), including $2.8 billion in confirmed early-stage funding. These commitments were made before the project's formal introduction in Korea. This futuristic park aims to transcend traditional amusement park experiences by integrating immersive digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality, with real-world attractions. Kenneth Kim, a Korean-American who has been developing the project concept for nine years, is now partnering with KIT World and will serve as president for the newly planned foreign-invested corporation to complete the investment process and begin construction. 'This project has drawn strong interest from international investors who see high potential in the concept and scale of this theme park,' said a KIT World official. 'Despite facing domestic political turbulence in recent years, such as martial law declaration, impeachment proceedings and early presidential elections, we have recently reached a mutual agreement with our US partners and are now ready to proceed.' An official from the Incheon Metropolitan City Government expressed optimism about the project, saying, 'We welcome foreign capital flowing into Incheon and look forward to in-depth collaboration with KIT World.'
