The Korea Telecommunications Operators Association (KTOA) said its AI Future Value Forum held its eighth meeting on Feb. 24 at KTOA’s Cellas Hall in Seoul on the implementation of the AI Basic Act and the government’s AI policy direction this year.

The forum was set up to share an AI policy vision amid changes including the full-scale implementation of the AI Basic Act and the upgrade of the Ministry of Science and ICT to a deputy prime minister-level organisation.

Lee Jin-soo (이진수), director general for AI Policy Planning at the Ministry of Science and ICT, shared key strategies based on this year’s work plan. They included the full launch of governance centered on an AI deputy prime minister, the release of a Korean AI foundation model and building an AI “expressway” by securing 37,000 GPUs.

Lee said 2026 would be the first year in which the public and private sectors cooperate to deliver tangible results based on an established AI promotion system. He stressed that the government would accelerate AI transformation by ministry through an AX one-stop support system and work to expand domestic AI models globally.

The discussion that followed focused mainly on the core role of telecommunications operators. Forum members stressed that ultra-high-speed, ultra-low-latency networks, data centres and edge infrastructure are the physical foundation and practical means for implementing national AX, and agreed that telecom infrastructure should be closely linked to the national AX strategy.

Song Jae-sung (송재성), KTOA vice chairman, said in particular that the AX one-stop support system and the public-private cooperation framework would be a big help for telecom companies in pushing ahead with AI businesses. He said the government needs to provide careful support as regulatory burdens are also increasing, including tighter CEO security accountability.

Lee Sung-youp (이성엽), the forum chair and a Korea University professor, said the AI Future Value Forum plans to continue working closely with the Ministry of Science and ICT, the National Assembly, industry and academia to reflect voices from the field in policy and to keep presenting measures for sustainable development of the AI and telecommunications ecosystem.