As debate grows over slowing AI development, speakers at a Seoul seminar said South Korea should raise the pace of responsibility through verification, control and recovery, rather than delay frontier AI. They called for Korea to design AI safety standards needed by both the United States and China, focusing on functional cooperation over value-based blocs. Participants also urged broader AI system evaluations beyond model scores and advocated Korea-specific benchmarks, risk-based management and stronger operational readiness in firms.

Cooperation between traditional financial firms and crypto-asset operators is expanding, with moves by Kakao Group, brokerages and exchanges. In the United States, the OCC gave preliminary approval to two digital banks pursuing crypto custody and stablecoin business. In South Korea, the Democratic Party plans to draw up a Digital Asset Basic Act this year. Competition is also shifting across platform finance, raising questions about entry rules, conflicts of interest, consumer choice and security.