Government to Invest 4.7 Trillion Won in 'Frontier AI Development' Next Year... 'Two-Track' Strategy with Dokpamo (Comprehensive)

Ministry of Science and ICT: "Dokpamo Not Suspended... Expansion and Restructuring Planned"

Frontier AI Project Operators to Be Selected in February-March Next Year

Ryu Jemyung, the Second Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, held a press briefing on the "Dokpamo Project and Frontier AI Direction" on the 2nd at the large conference room of the Seoul office of the National Information Society Agency (NIA), stating, "The Dokpamo project will proceed as planned, and at the same time, the development of Frontier AI will also be promoted." Photo by Sojung Seo.

The government will invest 4.7 trillion won next year to embark on the development of "Frontier AI." With the advent of "Mythos," AI has emerged as a national strategic technology, and the possession of Frontier AI has become critical to national competitiveness. The government is thereby aiming to challenge the creation of the world’s top Frontier AI.

At the same time, the government will not stop the Dokpamo (independent AI foundation model) development project it is currently pursuing, but will expand and reorganize it. First, in February next year, the government will proceed as planned with the third stage evaluation of the Dokpamo project to select two final companies. The Dokpamo initiative will continue as scheduled, but rather than favoring certain companies, the government envisions broadening the AI ecosystem with a "two-track strategy" that runs a separate "Frontier AI" development project allowing a greater variety of participants, such as SMEs and startups.

Ryoo Jaemyung, Second Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, held a press conference with reporters on the 2nd at the large conference room of the Seoul office of the National Information Society Agency (NIA), stating, "The Dokpamo project will proceed as planned, and at the same time, the development of Frontier AI will also be promoted. The two projects will be pursued separately, but both concern the development of independent AI models. The goal of developing independent AI models will be further strengthened, and the scope and depth will evolve in a broader direction."

This press conference took place as debates intensified over whether the Dokpamo initiative was effectively being stopped, following the government’s recent announcement of its Frontier AI development strategy. Vice Minister Ryoo stressed, "The Dokpamo project is by no means being stopped," and explained, "The current Dokpamo project will proceed as planned, with a third-stage evaluation scheduled in February next year to select two elite teams, and all steps will continue as planned." The existing Dokpamo initiative will continue to expand its application to industrial and public sectors, and both elite teams will receive support, including GPUs, as originally intended.

However, Vice Minister Ryoo clarified that the full-scale development of Frontier AI will move forward independently of the Dokpamo project, and explained that such policy changes were made to reflect the rapidly changing global AI landscape. The government plans to prepare a detailed implementation plan as soon as the budget proposal is finalized by the National Assembly in December.

Vice Minister Ryoo Jaemyung: "Fundamental change needed since the advent of Mythos"

Reiterating the shared understanding between government and industry regarding the need to develop Frontier AI, Vice Minister Ryoo commented, "Since the emergence of Mythos in April, the AI economy has moved to a completely different level." He added, "What we designed based on AI competition before then needs fundamental change. With the U.S. and China now investing massively in AI, the consensus is that we also need a fundamentally new scale of investments to stay competitive." While Dokpamo continues, the government is rigorously considering how to flexibly supplement development targets, support scale and methods, and other aspects in accordance with the program guidelines.

In response to media concerns about potential undermining of trust in government policy, Vice Minister Ryoo explained that the exponential global advances in AI technology since the advent of Mythos required not just minor policy adjustments, but a fundamental reset in direction, making change inevitable. He stated, "Given the radically shifting global landscape in AI competition, we are considering various policy options. Unlike previous changes, the government believes it has a responsibility to continuously consider and flexibly respond to the new AI paradigm." He further noted that from its inception, the Dokpamo project aimed at moving targets, and with rapid advances in AI technology, objectives and evaluation methods had to be adapted at each stage.

Ryu Jemyung, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, is announcing the results of the second evaluation of the independent AI foundation model project on August 18th at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul. 2026.8.18 Photo by Jo Yongjun

Looking ahead, the future Frontier AI development initiative will be open to not only the companies selected and not selected in the final stage of Dokpamo, but also to a diverse array of players, including large enterprises and startups. Eligibility to participate in the Frontier AI public competition will be left entirely to companies’ own decisions, and after the final two elite teams are selected, companies can make management strategy decisions as they see fit. Vice Minister Ryoo stated, "When the Frontier AI development project opens for applications and a new competition unfolds, the government will openly communicate to find a consensus on whether the incentives for the two companies ultimately selected for the Frontier AI model are appropriate compared to other competitors. However, we will ensure that, due to our consideration for the two Dokpamo winners, the allocation of resources is not distorted."

The Ministry of Science and ICT reiterated that the Frontier AI initiative is a parallel, separate project and does not absorb the Dokpamo initiative. As for the companies that will participate in future Frontier AI development, no particular format has been predetermined, and there are ongoing reviews of investment methods through a fair process of public invitation and selection.

In its budget proposal for next year, announced on September 1, the Ministry of Science and ICT allocated 4.7 trillion won to support the development of Frontier AI models. Specifically, 3.9 trillion won is earmarked for the purchase of 10,000 "Vera Rubin" GPUs, 800 billion won for the acquisition of AI training data, and 25 billion won to attract 20 top overseas researchers.

"Frontier AI Project: A Support System Inclusive of SMEs and Startups"

Regarding the Frontier AI project, the Ministry of Science and ICT stated, "Our aim under the investment-based project structure is to prioritize the likelihood of success over financial strength. This project is not solely for large companies with capital, but is designed as a support system in which a diverse range of companies—including SMEs and startups—can take the lead, and in which numerous companies, universities, and research groups can participate together."

The third-stage evaluation of the existing Dokpamo project is scheduled for completion by mid-February next year after a period running through the end of January. Choi Dongwon, Director of AI Infrastructure Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "Our aim is to secure an outstanding AI model, and we are exploring various avenues to that end, while maintaining continuous dialogue with Dokpamo participants during the process of establishing criteria for the third-stage evaluation." The ministry intends to swiftly initiate the investment process to select the main entities for developing the Frontier AI model as soon as the evaluation concludes. Vice Minister Ryoo added, "Linked to the evaluation results, we will proceed without delay to select candidates for Frontier AI model investment as early as February or March next year."

Regarding the possible establishment of a special purpose company (SPC) for Frontier AI development, the Ministry of Science and ICT commented, "We are reviewing a plan for investment based on open competition and selection, and the investment targets could take a variety of forms. We are rigorously examining the technical details of specific competition criteria to ensure that the arrangement supports the government’s policy objectives."

On Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyunghoon’s statement that "Dokpamo should help create a broader ecosystem,” the ministry explained, "In addition to proceeding with the Dokpamo project as planned, we will broadly consider securing additional GPUs and devising support measures for various companies so that Dokpamo can be more widely adopted in multiple industrial and research settings. We plan to evolve and further develop Dokpamo in a way that expands both the breadth and depth of the domestic AI ecosystem."

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