Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon speaks during a briefing with the ministry's press corps held at the Sejong Government Complex on July 20.NEWS1
SK Telecom, KT and Kakao were selected to participate in a government-led project aimed at providing public services based on Korean-developed AI models.
The consortiums, each led by the three companies, was chosen as the final operators of its “AI for All Project" among six consortiums that applied, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT.
The winners were chosen through a written evaluation of their technological capabilities and presentations assessing factors including ease of use, strategies for attracting users and contributions to the AI ecosystem.
The selected operators plan to introduce general-purpose AI chatbot services designed to outperform foreign AI models, AI agents that handle complex public administrative procedures on users’ behalf and specialized services developed in collaboration with startups.
The SK Telecom consortium plans to develop an action-oriented AI capable of handling everything from planning to execution based on a single request. The service will be accessible not only through apps and websites but also by phone and text message, to improve access for people who have difficulty using digital services. It will also be able to place calls on users’ behalf to stores and government offices that do not offer official APIs.
The Kakao consortium plans to combine a general-purpose chatbot with AI agents, using its widely used messaging platform KakaoTalk as the main entry point. Together with LG U+, it plans to launch a lite version of an AI phone service by the end of this year. It also aims to quickly distribute and secure specialized services from promising AI companies through connections with an agent marketplace.
Kakao headquarters in Pangyo, Gyeonggi, on June 29YONHAP
The KT consortium plans to connect partner channels including the Daum portal site, Danawa, Musinsa and Zigbang with its telecommunications and media infrastructure, including IPTV. The integrated AI service will let users search for information and access public services within a single conversation.
The government will provide the three selected operators with 512 Nvidia B200 graphics processing units this year. Starting in 2027, it plans to use government funding to cover the costs of providing the services nationwide.
The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to sign agreements with the three operators and form a working-level consultative body in September. After beta testing, the government aims to officially launch the service by the end of this year.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
