South Korea targets 'world's highest performance' sovereign AI model in record new budget

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 22: President of South Korea Lee Jae Myung addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, which brings together leaders and senior representatives of UN member states in New York, United States, on September 22, 2026. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty ImagesSouth Korean President Lee Jae Myung unveiled the country's largest ever budget on Monday, pledging to "boldly invest in AI and future growth engines."Speaking to the National Assembly on Monday, Lee said total spending for 2027 would rise 12.8% to 820.9 trillion won ($610.14 billion), including 21.3 trillion won for semiconductors, physical AI and AI data centers — nearly double the 2026 level.A separate 4.7 trillion won will go toward developing a sovereign AI model with what Lee described as the "world's highest performance."The government also plans to invest heavily into talent, including training 2,000 specialists to "lead semiconductor design and the regional semiconductor industry," while expanding AI education for students, job seekers and existing workers.South Korea has set up university "contract departments," where students can enroll in company-linked degrees that off...