LG, SKT, and Upstage Advance in IAFM Phase 2: “Welcoming the Challenge of Frontier-Grade Models”

"Enhancing as a Model that the Public Can Experience Firsthand"

Ryu Jemyung, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, announced the results of the second evaluation of the independent AI foundation model project at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul on August 18, 2026. Photo by Jo Yongjun

LG AI Research, SK Telecom, and Upstage, which have been selected as the final three models in the second evaluation of the independent AI foundation model project, all expressed a welcoming stance as they move on to the next stage.

On August 18, LG AI Research stated, "We have focused on laying the groundwork for developing a flagship-scale foundation model capable of competing in the global market by developing the 'K-Exaone,'" adding, "To this end, we have expanded the model to more than three times its previous size and tackled technical challenges throughout the training and inference of the large-scale model."

LG AI Research plans to further develop K-Exaone into a leading expert AI model that represents Korea, based on the technology secured at this stage. Lim Woohyeong, Co-Head of LG AI Research, said, "It was a necessary strategic decision to substantially scale up the model in order to compete on equal footing with global frontier models. With only small models, it is difficult to close the technological gap with global big tech, so we will continue our efforts to achieve equal or superior performance at the same scale."

Lim emphasized, "Although the performance increase may appear modest compared to the first round, this is a vital process of technical verification required for LG to advance toward the frontier level of AI. In particular, the second round focused on optimizing training for the large-scale model within a limited time period. Based on the technological assets and know-how accumulated during this stage, we will successfully achieve our ultimate performance goals." LG AI Research plans to hold a talk concert next month to provide a detailed explanation of the future direction of its technology development.

SK Telecom stated, "We are honored to participate in the next stage, made possible by the dedication of the participating companies and organizations in the consortium." The company added, "Based on the achievements in expanding the adoption of our proprietary AI model in industry and everyday life, we will focus on creating results that can be used across the domestic AI ecosystem."

Upstage said, "It is a great honor to be part of this historic moment as we lay the foundation for an ecosystem where everyone in Korea can enjoy the benefits of AI, while also seeing Korean AI advance toward becoming a global leader." The company continued, "Now that we are moving on to the final demonstration stage, we will do our utmost to enhance real-world models that the public can experience first-hand through platforms such as Daum and other consortium members, while also expanding support for Asian languages to lay the foundation for global expansion."

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