South Korea’s Bae Kyung-hoon calls for public share in ‘AI wealth’ amid Samsung labor dispute

Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon reportedly said that South Korea must ensure inclusive growth created by artificial intelligence benefits the wider community as the country navigates workforce friction with labor tensions at Samsung Electronics and a tech-driven stock market surge.

While talking to CBS, Lisa Kim on Friday said that the AI era has elevated broader questions over how wealth generated by the technology should be disseminated, whether AI could aggravate disparities and whether it could lead to job losses.

“In the age of AI, more of these super-large companies will continue to emerge. In that process, labor-management conflicts may continue to arise, and when they do, it will be important to resolve them wisely through dialogue,” Bae said.

“The benefits of AI must also go to the public,” Bae added, saying that Seoul is deeply focused on building an “AI-inclusive society — a society where no one is left behind in the AI era.”

A provisional agreement was reached on Wednesday with the union voting on the plan from Friday to 27 May. Meanwhile, South Korea’s minister for science and technology was also asked about sharp gains in South Korean markets. Samsung and SK Hynix have already seen their shares rise due to the AI boom.

At present, South Korea is effectively working to establish a distinctive strength in physical AI, and Bae is expressing confidence that Seoul can expand market share.

“Korea is trying to build out the full spectrum of AI capabilities, including various hardware equipment, software, and related services.”

Physical AI primarily refers to the integration of artificial intelligence into machines such as robots, vehicles and industrial systems to act in real-world environments.