AI · SEMICONDUCTOR · FACT CHECK
SKD WIRETrue
Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said that "dok-pa-mo" — Korea's push to develop its own AI models, including sovereign large language models (LLMs) — will continue, while the country will simultaneously take on the challenge of developing frontier AI.
Speaking at a briefing, Bae said Korea would not abandon the dok-pa-mo (독파모) initiative, the effort to build independent domestic foundation models, even as it aims higher along the AI development curve. The message signals a dual-track approach: maintaining support for homegrown models while also attempting to compete at the frontier of AI capability.
The remarks were made during an official government session covered by Yonhap News, whose photo caption accompanying the event carried the same framing of continued dok-pa-mo commitment alongside a frontier AI challenge.
Bae's statement positions the government's sovereign-model program as ongoing policy rather than a transitional effort. No specific budget figures, timelines, or named companies were attached to the announcement in the material reviewed.
The commitment comes as Korean industry players including Samsung, SK hynix, Naver and Kakao remain central to the country's AI and semiconductor ecosystem, though the deputy prime minister's remarks did not specify individual corporate roles.
The claim that Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said dok-pa-mo will continue while Korea simultaneously pursues frontier AI is accurate. Verdict: True
