Newly appointed Prime Minister Han Seong-sook signaled a push for speed in the transition to artificial intelligence (AI), saying in her inaugural remarks Monday that "the government must pick up its pace." The remarks were interpreted as reflecting her determination to fully leverage her strengths as a former private-sector information technology (IT) expert. She also laid out a broader vision of supporting industry while ensuring its benefits are distributed evenly to young people, small and medium-sized enterprises, and others.
Han made the comments as she arrived for her first day of work at the Government Complex Seoul, where she met with reporters. After paying respects at the Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, she held a meeting with AI-related ministers as effectively her first official engagement.
At the meeting, she cited AI administration and public AI services as her first tasks. "I thought about what to do as my first official schedule, and I concluded that meeting with the ministers involved in AI and hearing their views was the most important," she said. She added, "We need to transform services that the public can feel, and for the government to become a competent and useful platform, it is important that civil servants first use AI to improve their work efficiency."
Han's remarks fully reflected the problem awareness of a former IT expert. To support rapidly advancing industries such as AI, semiconductors, and robotics, the government must also equip itself with commensurate capabilities. "Our country's status has now changed from one that was chasing the great transformation to one that leads it," Han said. "The government will do its utmost to move quickly in line with this and to ensure that necessary policies are implemented on time."
Efforts to strengthen government capabilities through AI have continued for several years. A representative example is the "whole-of-government hyperscale AI" project, which builds AI infrastructure that both central and local governments can use, moving beyond piecemeal efforts by individual ministries. The whole-of-government hyperscale AI is considered an essential task not only for administrative efficiency but also in terms of AI sovereignty and security.
As countries rush to advance government AI transformation, analysts say the key factor determining competitiveness will ultimately be a solid private-sector AI ecosystem and public-private cooperation. The United States also uses OpenAI's ChatGPT on a Microsoft Azure-based cloud. "The more open source there is, the easier development becomes, but the more difficult the task, the more the involvement of veteran engineers is essential," said Yoo Hwan-jo, a professor at POSTECH's Graduate School of Artificial Intelligence. "Public-private cooperation is also key in the process of building and advancing whole-of-government AI."
In the "2025 Government AI Readiness Index" by the private analysis firm Oxford Insights, Korea scored 76.89, ranking fifth among 193 countries after the United States (88.36) and first in East Asia. However, while its national AI strategy, institutions, and communications infrastructure were assessed as strengths, its ecosystem competitiveness, such as AI unicorns and research and development (R&D), was found to lag behind leading countries.
Against this backdrop, Han expressed confidence in civil servants' AI capabilities. "I heard that at a recent civil servants' AI hackathon, private-sector experts came and said they 'wanted to invest' and 'wanted to buy,'" she said. "That is how well young civil servants are already doing with AI, and at the meeting we will discuss how to further enhance their capabilities going forward."
Han also presented as major tasks accelerating growth into an industrial powerhouse with a decisive lead through physical AI, and opening up data to create a virtuous AI ecosystem.
On her role as prime minister, she said, "I thought about why it is Han Seong-sook at this particular moment." She added, "This is a time when the languages of the public and private sectors must go together, when the speed of the private sector and the speed of the public sector must be matched, and when major industrial policy must function." She expressed her aspiration to fully utilize her experience as a private-sector IT expert and as Minister of SMEs and Startups.
Regarding the division of roles with the president, she said, "I tend to use the expression 'tangible' quite often, and I will look for areas to quickly implement tasks that reach into people's lives." She added, "I think it is the cabinet's role to swiftly execute the big picture and message the president delivers."
Han also plans to focus intensively on youth and balanced development issues. "We will boldly carry out investment in advanced industries such as AI and actively rationalize regulations that stand in the way of innovation," she said. "I will build a Korea where the results seep into people's lives and lead to opportunities for growth for young people, where the fruits of growth spread to small and medium-sized enterprises and neighborhood commercial districts, so that everyone can unfold their potential."
