South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok announced at a forum in Dalian the country’s strategy to join the world’s top three artificial intelligence leaders. Seoul is placing a special bet on the "physical AI" segment, combining software solutions with industrial production, where it plans to take first place in the world. To realize these ambitions, a platform called the Global AI Hub will be created to address global challenges and expand access to technology.

The foundation for a technological breakthrough is a country’s unique expertise, above all - dominance in the memory market. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are the world’s largest manufacturers of high-bandwidth memory, critical for modern AI accelerators. SK Hynix accounts for up to 61% of the global market for such chips, a result of early and consistent investments in this direction.

Advances in AI and semiconductors have already found powerful reflection in financial markets. The South Korean KOSPI index has grown by almost 94% since early 2026, and SK Hynix overtook Samsung in June to become the country’s most expensive company. The combination of hardware manufacturing leadership and "physical AI" ambitions forms a solid foundation for Seoul’s long-term technological leadership on the world stage.