[Global AI Battleground Korea] ④Urgent Need for K-AI: Roadmap Revealed... Final Two Dokpamo Teams to Be Selected in February Next Year

'Sovereign AI' Gains Momentum Amid U.S. Export Controls

As global artificial intelligence (AI) companies continue to enter the Korean market, and as AI services are emerging as national strategic assets, there is growing interest in 'independent AI foundation models' (Dokpamo). The unprecedented decision by the U.S. government to impose export controls on Anthropic's latest AI model, 'Mythos,' has underscored to governments around the world the importance of fostering their own AI models. As high-performance AI models are increasingly regarded as strategic assets similar to semiconductors, the movement toward developing domestic models and infrastructure—so-called 'sovereign AI'—is also expected to gain momentum.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT on June 18, the four teams participating in the Dokpamo project are focusing their capabilities on model development and advancement, ahead of a phased evaluation scheduled for August. In February, the AI startup Motif Technologies belatedly joined the elite team, which already included LG AI Research Institute, SK Telecom, and Upstage. These three teams will complete development by the end of June, while Motif Technologies will finish by the end of July. All teams will begin the second phase of evaluation in early August.

The final selection of the two Dokpamo teams is scheduled for February next year. Initially, the government had planned to select the final two teams by December this year, but as additional startups joined through an extra round of applications and the evaluation process required more time, the final teams will now be confirmed in February next year. A Ministry of Science and ICT official stated, "When the Dokpamo project was first launched, there were already high-performing foreign models on the market, so some were skeptical. However, recent export controls on AI have highlighted the necessity for domestic AI models, creating a more positive atmosphere," adding, "The elite teams participating in the Dokpamo project are focusing on model advancement with a strong sense of mission." The ministry is not only developing domestic AI models but is also actively promoting real-world application cases to raise awareness of independent AI models.

Separately from the Dokpamo project, the Ministry of Science and ICT will soon announce a call for organizations to participate in the 'AI for All' project, in partnership with the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA), and will invite consortiums to apply. The ministry plans to allow any domestic company, including those teams that previously participated in but were not selected for the Dokpamo project, to apply. A ministry official explained, "'AI for All' aims to provide a Korean-style ChatGPT service that all citizens can use, leveraging domestic AI models," adding, "While the Dokpamo project focuses on the 'model,' 'AI for All' is about the 'service,' with the goal of launching the service within the year."

As the importance of sovereign AI becomes more pronounced, Korean AI companies are accelerating their efforts. If national administration, defense, or financial systems rely on foreign AI and face service restrictions or sanctions, it could lead to critical risks such as loss of access to national data, suspension of model updates, or sharp increases in API (application programming interface) prices. This has prompted companies to intensify their efforts to secure a foothold in these sectors. In particular, foreign models may not be sufficiently trained on Korea-specific data, and there are significant concerns about the potential transfer of sensitive data overseas.

Jinwon Lee, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of HyperAccel, stated, "Although access to Anthropic's service was suspended due to U.S. government export controls, this measure is expected to normalize soon. However, there is now a heightened sense of crisis that export controls on high-performance AI models could be reinstated at any time. If foreign AI models dominate the market and a country lacks its own domestic AI models, there would be no alternatives available, which poses a significant threat to national security. Therefore, alternatives must be developed."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.