An expert roundtable on "New National Security in the Age of Agentic AI: Global Technology Hegemony and Korea" hosted by the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies [Chey Institute for Advanced Studies]
An expert roundtable on "New National Security in the Age of Agentic AI: Global Technology Hegemony and Korea" hosted by the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies [Chey Institute for Advanced Studies]

Korea should actively leverage its world-class memory chip and advanced manufacturing capabilities as strategic national assets in the global AI race, a prominent think tank said Sunday.

However, if Korea remains confined to supplying key components such as HBM, the high value generated by AI could flow to overseas tech giants instead. The Chey Institute for Advanced Studies said Korea should expand its influence to the design and norm-setting stages of the global AI ecosystem, using its semiconductor and advanced manufacturing strengths as leverage rather than pursuing independent development of every strategic technology.

The institute published a report Sunday titled "From Possession to Operation: National Security and Sovereign AI 2.0 in the Age of Agentic AI."

The report drew on discussions from an expert roundtable on "New National Security in the Age of Agentic AI: Global Technology Hegemony and Korea," co-hosted last month with Seoul National University's Future War Studies Center.

The report said existing sovereign AI strategies — which focus on developing and possessing independent AI models — need to be redesigned around two new concepts: "access sovereignty" and "operational sovereignty."

Access sovereignty refers to a country's ability to reliably use the AI technology and services it needs. Operational sovereignty means the ability to quickly switch to an alternative system and maintain core functions when a particular AI model or cloud service is suspended or becomes unavailable.

Ultimately, the report argued, AI sovereignty should not be approached as "technological self-sufficiency" — the goal of developing and owning all technology domestically. What matters instead is building a structure in which core national functions cannot be paralyzed by changes in the external environment or decisions by specific companies or countries, even when deeply connected to foreign technology and services.

Seong Nak-ho, head of hyperscale AI at Naver Cloud, said US AI control policy has traditionally centered on restricting exports of products such as semiconductors, but that "access rights" — controlling who can use AI models and services — could become increasingly important going forward.

Experts also said cybersecurity strategy must evolve alongside the spread of agentic AI. They identified as a key challenge not merely improving the defensive capabilities of individual systems using AI, but extending AI-based defense frameworks to a broader range of systems and critical national assets.

Experts said Korea's AI strategy also requires selectivity and focus. Since securing independent competitiveness across all strategic technology fields including AI is realistically difficult, they said Korea should identify sectors where it holds a competitive advantage — such as manufacturing, healthcare and cultural content — and concentrate its AI capabilities there.

Participants particularly said Korea should use its memory chip and advanced manufacturing competitiveness as strategic assets in the global AI race. As the expansion of AI infrastructure raises the importance of high-performance memory and advanced manufacturing capacity, they argued these strengths should translate into national-level negotiating power, not merely component supply competitiveness.

The report also warned against complacency about Korea's current industrial advantages.

If Korea remains a supplier of memory chips and manufacturing infrastructure, the high value created by the AI industry could concentrate in overseas companies and platforms. The report recommended that Korea participate from the earliest stages of designing global AI technology and services and shaping the norms that govern them.

"Sovereign AI 2.0 reflects the conviction that the concept of sovereign AI must expand beyond simply possessing technology and models, to encompass operational capacity and the ability to shape governing norms," said Kim Yu-seok, president of the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies. "For Korea to become a participant in the norm-setting process rather than a bystander, it must begin accumulating the necessary capabilities and experience now."


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