South Korea's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee held a meeting at Hanwha Aerospace in Pangyo, Gyeonggi province, on Tuesday with members of its defence and security subcommittee to accelerate artificial intelligence transformation (AX) in the defence sector.

It was the committee’s first field visit to implement the “Republic of Korea AI Action Plan” announced on Feb. 25. The meeting was led by Lim Moon-young (임문영), the standing vice chairman, and attended by Sim Seung-bae (심승배), head of the defence and security subcommittee, five members and senior executives from Hanwha Aerospace and Hanwha Systems.

The meeting focused on ways to introduce a “private-led demand creation for AI weapon systems” model in which AI and defence companies propose new combat methods and weapon systems to the military.

Lim said rigid systems must be boldly reformed so capable companies can participate dynamically if the military is to become a smart, strong force. He added he would support defence AX so it does not remain a slogan and instead leads to a tangible strengthening of capabilities and an expansion of defence exports.

The committee said it plans to continue engagement with other defence companies and AI startups starting with this visit. It also plans to work with relevant ministries, including the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, to push ahead with key tasks such as developing a “defence foundation model”.