Kim Yong-beom, chief of the Presidential Policy Office, on Wednesday proposed a "citizen dividend" system to return the benefits of the artificial intelligence (AI) era to the public, arguing that "the fruits of the AI infrastructure era are not the result of specific companies alone."
In a Facebook post, Kim said, "If a strategic position in the AI infrastructure supply chain creates a structural boom that leads to record-high excess tax revenues, how to use that money is not a matter of choice but of design." Referring to the semiconductor market boom, he stressed that it "comes from an industrial foundation that the entire nation has built together over half a century," adding, "If so, part of those gains should be structurally returned to all citizens."
He particularly noted that "Korea has been strong in growth but weak in spreading the fruits of growth across society," warning that the AI and semiconductor boom could instead widen the wealth gap. "Letting the fruits of excess profits flow away without any principle could be even more irresponsible," he said.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Office said Kim's citizen dividend concept is "a personal opinion unrelated to internal discussions or reviews." The remarks were interpreted as suggesting the redistribution of individual companies' profits, and the office appeared to draw a line as the proposal affected the market.
