{"id":13441,"date":"2026-11-04T01:58:43","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T01:58:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=13441"},"modified":"2026-11-04T01:58:43","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T01:58:43","slug":"roundtable-korea-must-navigate-us-china-ai-rivalry-with-strategic-clarity-experts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=13441","title":{"rendered":"[ROUNDTABLE] Korea must navigate US-China AI rivalry with strategic clarity: experts"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>5 Minute, 36 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\"Kim<\/picture>
\n

Kim Sung-han, left, former national security adviser and Korea University professor emeritus, speaks during The Korea Times roundtable “Beyond US-China AI race: Korea’s strategic edge” at the company’s newsroom in Seoul, Oct. 28. From left are Kim, Reform Party of Korea Rep. Lee Jun-seok and Bone AI CEO Lee Do-kyung. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With artificial intelligence (AI) emerging as a fiercely contested front in the intensifying rivalry between the United States and China, Korea faces a growing dilemma.<\/p>\n

The country is caught between Washington’s dominance in frontier AI technologies and China’s growing presence in the consumer market with open-weight and open-source models.<\/p>\n

To explore how Korea should navigate this geopolitical landscape, The Korea Times hosted a roundtable titled \u201cBeyond U.S.-China AI race: Korea\u2019s strategic edge,\u201d which included the country\u2019s leading experts.<\/p>\n

Participants included Kim Sung-han, former national security adviser and Korea University professor emeritus; Reform Party of Korea Rep. Lee Jun-seok; Lim Jong-in, former presidential cybersecurity adviser and Soongsil University AI committee chair; and Bone AI CEO Lee Do-kyung. Korea Times President-Publisher Oh Young-jin moderated the discussion.<\/p>\n

\"U.S.<\/picture>
\n

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping watch a military demonstration from a balcony of the White House in Washington, D.C., Sept. 24. Reuters-Yonhap<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kim stressed that Korea should distinguish between consumer AI and technologies used for national security, calling for high-level consultations between Cheong Wa Dae and the White House to define the scope of cooperation with China.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder the \u2018small yard, high fence\u2019 strategy, Korea can cooperate with China outside narrowly defined areas involving critical technologies,\u201d Kim said. \u201cBut realistically, Seoul needs to consult Washington to ensure such cooperation does not violate U.S. export controls.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis can be interpreted that cooperation with China is possible in areas other than the most advanced AI technologies that could be used for military purposes or the development of artificial general intelligence.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"A<\/picture>
\n

A photo taken Oct. 21 shows the logo of China’s DeepSeek AI application on a smartphone screen and that of its Kimi AI application on a laptop screen in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. AFP-Yonhap <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The comments reflect the recognition that while Korea hopes to become the world’s third-largest AI powerhouse, it remains a distant third behind the U.S. and China in terms of technological capabilities, with the gap in frontier AI models and other most advanced technologies becoming increasingly difficult to narrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we say the world’s frontier AI model development capabilities add up to 100 percent, the U.S. would account for 50, China 40 and the rest of the world would share the remaining 10, with each country claiming to be No. 3,\u201d Lim said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, the U.S. remains overwhelmingly dominant in development. China has caught up to about 90 percent of the U.S. level with models such as DeepSeek and Qwen, but U.S. equipment restrictions and sluggish domestic demand constrain its ability to develop and deploy AI models.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lim said U.S. efforts to exclude China from its supply chains create opportunities for Korea in memory chips, power infrastructure and energy storage systems. However, he stressed the need for de-risking measures reflecting Korean businesses’ interests, given the possibility of Chinese retaliation, such as the dispute over the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.<\/p>\n

\"U.S.<\/picture>
\n

U.S. military personnel walk past an F-22 Raptor ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Sept. 23. EPA-Yonhap <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rep. Lee also warned against excluding China in pursuit of closer cooperation with the U.S. He noted that Chinese AI models offer overwhelming cost advantages, particularly in inference, making it increasingly likely that China will dominate the consumer AI market.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe U.S. will never share technologies tied to its core national interests, even with its closest allies, just as it refuses to sell the F-22 fighter jet while still offering the F-16 or F-18,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd China is also unlikely to challenge Korea by developing AI models comparable to the F-22, and the two countries are unlikely to compete directly in many global markets. Ultimately, the question is whether to share AI supply chains with China. \u2026 We should open up areas that do not involve core national interests or critical technology leaks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lee Do-kyung also stressed the need for Korea to find areas where it can build its own competitive advantages rather than compete directly with U.S. developers of frontier AI models. The CEO pointed to Korea’s manufacturing capabilities and industry-specific operational knowledge as potential strengths.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/picture>
\n

People try the Palantir Maven Smart System during the Defence Security Equipment International Japan trade event at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan in this May 21, 2025 photo. Reuters-Yonhap<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, participants warned that it would be overly ambitious for Korea to seek cooperation with both countries wherever it sees potential benefits, stressing the need to draw clear boundaries between areas open to cooperation with China and those involving critical security interests.<\/p>\n

One example cited by the participants was the Maven Smart System, a U.S. military AI platform developed by Palantir Technologies, which played a key role in the U.S. military campaign against Iran by dramatically accelerating the process of identifying, prioritizing and striking targets, helping U.S. forces hit more than 1,000 targets within the first 24 hours of the operation.<\/p>\n

Like the F-22, Maven is considered a technology Washington is unlikely to share with Seoul, while participants said China was unlikely to develop comparable AI-powered command-and-control capabilities soon.<\/p>\n

Kim said Korea should take such technological gaps into account when discussing the transfer of wartime operational control from the U.S., arguing that Seoul should use its integration with U.S. military systems and standards as an opportunity to learn from American technology and strengthen its own capabilities before the transfer.<\/p>\n

Rep. Lee also raised similar concerns, warning that Korea’s existing defense posture could become vulnerable if North Korea develops an effective AI-powered command system ahead of Seoul or acquires such technology from China or Russia.<\/p>\n

\"Participants<\/picture>
\n

Participants of The Korea Times roundtable “Beyond US-China AI race: Korea’s strategic edge” pose at the company’s newsroom in Seoul, Oct. 28. From left are Korea Times President-Publisher Oh Young-jin; Lim Jong-in, former presidential cybersecurity adviser and Soongsil University AI committee chair; Bone AI CEO Lee Do-kyung; Reform Party of Korea Rep. Lee Jun-seok; and Kim Sung-han, former national security adviser and Korea University professor emeritus. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/div>\n\n

\n
\n \n
\n \n \"Happy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Happy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sad\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sad <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Excited\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Excited <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sleepy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sleepy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Angry\"\n <\/a>\n
Angry<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Surprise\"\n <\/a>\n
Surprise<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kim Sung-han, left, former national security adviser and Korea University professor emeritus, speaks during The Korea Times roundtable “Beyond US-China AI race: Korea’s strategic edge” at the company’s newsroom in Seoul, Oct. 28. From left are Kim, Reform Party of Korea Rep. Lee Jun-seok and Bone AI CEO Lee Do-kyung. Korea Times photo by Shim…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-korea","category-trending-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t