Speed responsibility over speed control

Bae framed the debate around a distinction between "speed regulation" (속도조절), or putting brakes on AI development, and "speed responsibility" (속도책임), or ensuring that actors moving fast in AI bear responsibility for the outcomes of that speed.

In his view, for a country like Korea — where AI is tightly linked to the semiconductor and hardware industries that anchor the national economy — imposing controls on the pace of development would risk ceding ground in a global race. The emphasis, instead, should be on building systems of accountability so that rapid progress does not come at the cost of safety or public trust.

Policy direction

The remarks signal a government stance that favors enabling AI development while constructing responsibility frameworks around it, rather than preemptive slowdowns. That approach aligns with Korea's broader positioning in AI and semiconductors, where companies such as Samsung, SK hynix and Naver are central players and the pace of technology adoption is treated as a competitive variable.

Bae's formulation leaves open the concrete shape of such responsibility mechanisms — how obligations would be assigned across developers, deployers and infrastructure providers was not specified in the remarks.

Context

The statement comes amid ongoing debate in Korea and abroad over whether fast-moving AI development should be tempered by regulation or paired with accountability measures that allow development to continue. Bae placed the government clearly in the latter camp: the priority is not to slow AI down, but to make speed accountable.

The claim as stated — that Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said "what Korea needs is not AI speed regulation but speed responsibility" — is True.