Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT on May 29 unveiled a plan to bolster private-sector information protection against AI-driven cyber threats, warning that high-performance AI models are sharpening attackers' ability to hunt for vulnerabilities and automate strikes faster than conventional defenses can answer.
Under the plan, the government will build an emergency response system centered on the presidential Office of National Security and set up a vulnerability management center within the Korea Internet & Security Agency to share flaw and patch data in near real time. It also vowed to strengthen AI-based detection of malicious activity and tighten support for smaller firms.
The push extends abroad.
Korea, alongside Japan, recently became the first in Asia and the third globally after the United States and Canada to join OpenAI's Trusted Access for Cyber program, securing government access to the firm's most advanced cyber models.
"Cutting-edge cyber AI capabilities should not be concentrated in the hands of a few," said Jason Kwon, OpenAI's chief strategy officer, at a Seoul briefing unveiling a parallel "Korea Cyber Action Plan."
Generative AI, meanwhile, is steadily becoming a daily fixture.
About 38.9 percent of Koreans said they had used generative AI services last year, up sharply from 12.3 percent in 2023 and 24.0 percent in 2024, according to the Korea Information Society Development Institute, though worries over disinformation and copyright abuse have climbed in step.
In wearables, the contest is fiercest over smart glasses. Samsung Electronics and Google showcased Gemini-powered eyewear at Google I/O 2026 in May, mounting a joint challenge to Meta, which dominates a market it has held since 2023.
Industry watchers say the center of gravity in AI competition is shifting from raw model performance toward security muscle, ecosystems and control of the points where users actually connect.
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