The Ministry of Science and ICT has officially launched a research and development project aimed at developing core technologies for agentic artificial intelligence (AI). The initiative seeks to cultivate the domestic agentic AI industry by securing technologies that enable AI to make decisions and act independently in real-world environments without human intervention.
On July 30, the Ministry and the Institute for Information and Communications Technology Planning and Evaluation (IITP) held a kickoff meeting for the 'Development of Real-World Active Agentic AI Technologies' at the AI·SW Maestro Seoul Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul.
This project is a key task under the government's recently announced 'Agentic AI Initiative.' The goal is to develop agentic AI technologies that can autonomously plan and execute complex tasks, going beyond the capabilities of existing AI assistants, and to implement these technologies in actual services.
Hong Jin-bae, head of IITP, stated, "This project serves as a catalyst for realizing the government's 'Agentic AI Initiative' on the ground. We will lead the agentic AI ecosystem in South Korea in collaboration with 26 industry, academia, and research partners."
To promote the spread of agentic AI, IITP has identified several core research areas, including interaction with the environment and tool utilization, step-by-step planning and modification with self-feedback, long-term memory and context understanding, multi-agent collaboration, and safety and alignment technologies.
The project involves four leading organizations: NC AI, Medical Park, Simsim, and VENG. Additionally, Korea University, Yonsei University, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and Pohang University of Science and Technology will also participate in joint research.
Specifically, Medical Park will develop an 'agentic AI breast ultrasound' that performs the entire ultrasound examination process at the level of a skilled examiner. NC AI will implement an 'agentic AI digital work colleague' that autonomously understands and manages tasks related to corporate ERP, email, and calendars. Simsim plans to introduce a 'daily companion' that interacts with users to support their daily lives. VENG will work on building an agentic AI simulator based on the MCP standard for multi-agent collaboration.
To support this initiative, the Ministry will invest a total of 18 billion won (approximately $15 million) over a period of 18 months starting this year. A phased evaluation is scheduled for the end of 2027. Hong emphasized, "We will actively promote a flexible and challenging R&D management system that responds quickly to changes in the technological environment through a 'moving target' approach."
The ultimate goal is to develop a prototype that achieves a technology readiness level (TRL) of 7, which can be validated in real-world environments, and to advance it toward commercialization.
Lee Jin-soo, director of AI policy planning at the Ministry, remarked, "In the era of agentic AI, it is crucial to secure not only excellent AI models but also core technologies that enable AI to make judgments and execute actions in real-world settings. We will actively support this project to enhance South Korea's competitiveness in agentic AI technology and lead innovation."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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