Rep. Lee Jae-myung (left), former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea shakes hands with FuriosaAI CEO Paik June at the company’s headquarters in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, Monday. (Pool photo via Yonhap) Lee vows W100tr public sector investment for AI industry in Korea
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the leading presidential contender for main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, emphasized the need for government-led investment in the artificial intelligence industry during a Monday visit to FuriosaAI.
The visit to the local chipmaker marked Lee’s first public appearance since declaring his candidacy last week.
“For me, the most important public concerns are livelihood and employment issues. And when it comes to jobs, artificial intelligence is the most urgent matter,” Lee said during a meeting at Furiosa’s headquarters in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul.
“It feels as though humanity is undergoing a transformation akin to the invention of a new form of literacy.”
Founded in 2017, South Korean startup Furiosa specializes in designing and developing data center accelerators for cutting-edge AI models and applications. Lee was joined at the meeting by CEO Paik June and researchers Koo Bon-cheol and Lee Joo-yoon.
“I see a new hope. Many people, including my colleagues, have recently expressed concern that Korea may be falling behind in global AI development. But Furiosa’s existence clearly shows that such fears are unfounded,” he said.
According to Lee, his visit was intended to hear directly from the industry about the kind of public sector support needed. “It’s time for Korea to begin thinking as a national community about how to navigate the AI era,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Lee also unveiled a set of AI-related campaign pledges on Facebook, including plans to invest 100 trillion won ($70 billion) to enhance Korea’s global competitiveness in AI.
His proposals include establishing a presidential AI committee, creating cumulative national AI data clusters, securing over 50,000 GPUs, and supporting the development of AI-dedicated neural processing units, or NPUs.
Lee currently leads among declared presidential contenders.
In a Realmeter poll of 1,506 respondents conducted Wednesday and Thursday, Lee led the field with 48.8 percent support in the “most suitable next president” category.
He was followed by former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo with 10.9 percent, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo with 8.6 percent. While Han has not declared any intention to run for president, some consider him a potential candidate for the ruling People Power Party. Kim resigned as labor minister on Wednesday to officially launch his presidential bid as a People Power Party candidate.
Other contenders include former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon (6.2 percent), former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo (5.2 percent), Rep. Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party (3 percent), former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min (2.7 percent), Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the PPP (2.4 percent), former South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo (1.3 percent), and Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Dong-yeon (1.2 percent).
Lee also leads within his party, receiving 52.2 percent support from Democratic Party voters, followed by Kim Kyoung-soo at 11.7 percent and Kim Dong-yeon at 3.7 percent.
flylikekite@heraldcorp.com