South Korea is working to strengthen its defense posture by using artificial intelligence (AI) as the country takes steps to increase its place in the global AI landscape.
The Defense Ministry opened the Defense AI Center in Daejeon, about 160 kilometers south of Seoul, in April 2024. The center brings together experts from the Ministry of National Defense, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technologies, universities and the private sector to develop advanced technologies for the military using AI. The center, which will focus on development of manned-unmanned teaming systems, is part of South Korea’s Defense Innovation 4.0 initiative, which aims to make the military slimmer yet smarter based on AI and other advanced technologies, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily.
The ribbon cutting was just one part of a larger push to establish South Korea as a world leader in the AI realm. The country hosted the September 2024 summit on responsible AI use in the military — the second-ever such summit, attended by 90 nations. In January 2025, the National Assembly passed the AI Basic Act, which established guidelines for transparency, privacy and safety governing AI tools. South Korea is taking steps to export its AI technology, announcing in February 2025 that it will invest around $2 billion in AI as well as other defense technologies. Also in February, the country announced plans to build a $35 billion AI data center in a public-private partnership. Construction is expected to begin in 2025 and be complete by 2028. To power the data center, which will be one of the largest in the world, South Korea will acquire 10,000 graphics processing units to perform rapid mathematical calculations and render images, Reuters reported.
“As competition for dominance in the AI industry intensifies, the competitive landscape is shifting from battles between companies to a full-scale rivalry between national innovation ecosystems,” South Korea’s Acting President Choi Sang-mok said in a statement.
Putting AI to the defense test
South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense tested a proprietary generative AI command and control platform during the Freedom Shield 25 combined exercise with the United States.
The test focused on how the Allies could use the Generative Defense AI platform in actual defense operations. It marked the first time an AI tool was used during a combined exercise between the two Allies.
“By reflecting realistic threats, lessons learned from recent armed conflicts, and evolving challenges, including [North Korea’s] military strategy, tactics, and capabilities, as well as its growing partnership with Russia, the [South Korea]-U.S. Alliance will further strengthen its readiness, capability and combined defense posture,” a U.S. Forces Korea news release said.
The March 2025 Freedom Shield lasted 11 days and focused on interoperability between the two Allies’ systems.