South Korea’s minister of trade, industry and energy Kim Jung-kwan said AI,
regional development and industrial ecosystems are the government’s three
priority battlegrounds to pull the economy back from a ‘zero-growth’ risk,
urging corporate cooperation to expand global market share. He warned the era of
relying on free trade and exports is waning, saying ‘going it alone’ and
‘survival of the fittest’ are becoming the norm and that firms, industries and
national standing could shift without heightened vigilance. On AI, Kim cautioned
against complacency despite the semiconductor upcycle, noting most non-chip
firms remain under strain and the chip-driven boom risks creating a misleading
sense of broad prosperity.
