South Korea proposes sharing AI windfall profits with citizens
Head of South Korea’s Presidential Office for Policy Kim Yong-Beom said that part of the excess profits generated by the artificial intelligence and semiconductor boom should be used for the benefit of society as a whole, Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to South Korean officials, the country may be experiencing not just another export boom, but a deeper economic transformation linked to the development of AI infrastructure.
South Korea increasingly views artificial intelligence not as a separate IT sector, but as a new industrial infrastructure comparable in importance to electricity or telecommunications.
“The key question of the AI era is not simply who creates AI models, but who can actually supply AI infrastructure,” Kim Yong-Beom wrote on Facebook.
The development of AI requires large-scale physical infrastructure, including data centers, power grids, cooling systems, robotics, and high-performance memory chips.
Against this backdrop, South Korea, with its strong positions in semiconductor manufacturing, batteries, and high-tech production, is gaining a strategic advantage in the global AI race.
The current growth of the semiconductor sector is also being viewed as a possible long-term “supercycle” capable of generating record tax revenues for the country.
“The question of how to use this money is no longer simply a policy option. It is becoming a matter of institutional design that must be seriously considered,” Kim Yong-Beom noted.
At the same time, concerns are being raised over growing social inequality in the AI era, as most excess profits may become concentrated among major technology companies, asset owners, and highly skilled specialists.
Possible solutions mentioned include support for entrepreneurship, educational programs, cultural initiatives, and mechanisms for redistributing part of the excess profits generated by the AI sector.
Following Kim’s remarks, shares of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix declined, while the KOSPI index came under pressure amid investor concerns over potential government intervention in the industry.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that rising demand for memory chips driven by the global AI boom could push smartphone prices higher in 2026 as semiconductor manufacturers increasingly shift production toward AI data centers.
