”Data regulations are preventing South Korea from becoming an AI powerhouse”... The government is seeking a solution

South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT has begun full-scale regulatory reforms regarding data utilization to enhance the competitiveness of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry. The key is "free use of high-quality data."
But industry voices say unreasonable regulations continue to stifle innovation on the ground.
Ryu Jae-myung, second vice minister of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Technology, held a press conference at the Seoul Software
At the Maestro Training Center, a roundtable discussion on "data regulation reform" was held with companies and experts in the fields of AI and data, to discuss the direction of data regulation improvement.
This is part of the "relay-style on-site dialogue" that the government has been visiting AI-related sites every week since taking office to hear the voices of the private sector.
Major AI companies, such as Yahoo! Inc., Twelve Labs Inc. (Visual AI), Dozombieson Inc. (Public Sector/Medical AI), Maum AI (Physical AI), and Runit (Medical AI), are
"Our goal is to secure high-quality data," he said, pointing out that "even reliable data held by public institutions and public companies is difficult to access in the field."
In particular, AI companies are being criticized for saying, "Although the government is working to improve regulations, startups are still at the core for various reasons, such as personal information."
"We have not been able to secure the data," it said, and recommended that "access to public works and original data should be demonstrated through a regulatory sandbox, and the possibilities for use should be expanded based on social consensus."
Attorney Ku Tae-un, representative of the Korea Startup Forum, who made the announcement on the day, also said, "The current system has not kept up with the speed of technological evolution, and there is a comprehensive lack of regulations on data usage in general.
In response, Vice Minister Ryu said, "The new administration is preparing to promote innovation in data regulations as a core national policy issue. We will continue to implement reforms based on proposals from the field.
"We will draw out specific policy issues and reach a social consensus through field trials such as regulatory sandboxes," he said.
"We will continue to promote substantial regulatory reform through this roundtable discussion," he said. Through this roundtable discussion, the government will not only discuss regulatory improvements, but also take policy measures to "realize one of the three AI powerhouses" through on-site application and demonstration.
The plan is to increase the effectiveness of these measures.