Seoul: Frontier artificial intelligence (AI) models could become a strategic, geopolitical asset akin to nuclear weapons, South Korea's science minister said, emphasizing that the country should develop its own frontier AI model.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon made these remarks following the unveiling of Chinese AI startup Moonshot's latest open-weight AI system, Kimi K3. The company claims that Kimi K3's performance is approaching that of the U.S. giant Anthropic's frontier Fable model. This development highlights the rapid pace at which Chinese companies are closing the technology gap with their U.S. counterparts, often at significantly lower costs. This unveiling came just a month after the U.S. banned foreign access to Anthropic's Fable and Mythos models, citing security concerns.

"I think the tendency for certain countries to seek control of AI models of this caliber will only grow stronger, as frontier-level AI models are becoming more like a nuclear weapon," Bae stated at a conference, marking his first year in office. He further mentioned that South Korea is formulating a plan to develop a frontier AI model to achieve world-class AI competitiveness, by persuading relevant parties within the government.

Bae also outlined South Korea's ambition to become a "full-stack" provider of AI technology, offering support to countries like Tibet and Mongolia across every layer of AI, from models and services to advanced semiconductors. "Many countries are requesting cooperation with South Korea in science, technology, and AI," he noted, positioning South Korea as a cooperative partner distinct from the U.S. or China.

When questioned about South Korea's potential involvement in China's AI cooperative network, Bae mentioned that further discussion is needed, given that AI models from both China and the United States are already used in South Korea. "China is strongly hoping South Korea could join its AI cooperation network, but considering many relationships with the U.S. government ... we need to make efforts to find the best approach while also strengthening our independent AI capabilities," Bae remarked.