IT was an immense relief to hear that South Korea’s worst wildfires in modern history were finally largely contained after raging across the country’s southeastern regions for more than a week.
This devastating disaster left nearly 30 people dead, more injured and far more displaced or grappling with property damage, leaving the entire nation in mourning and shock.
Now is the time for everyone in South Korea to come together to grieve the loss of loved ones, offer comfort to those affected, care for the lives of all those impacted and assist residents in rebuilding their lives and returning to normalcy as swiftly as possible.
As with every disaster – whether large or small – it is equally vital to determine the cause, identify those responsible if any, reflect on the response process, assess what went wrong and take proactive steps to prevent future occurrences.
Disasters of such magnitude often strike when we are least prepared and least vigilant, underscoring the importance of learning valuable lessons from this tragedy.
While it will take time to fully understand the root cause and gather final lessons, the behaviour of the domestic political community throughout the period in which the wildfires spread has been deeply disappointing and disheartening.
This disappointment was further exacerbated by the fact that the disaster unfolded during a period when the country’s administrative branch was severely impaired due to the suspension of the presidency following parliament’s passing of an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol in mid-December last year.
For the nation, the disaster could not have come at a worse time, especially when considering the chaotic developments in global geopolitics and economics, largely stemming from a series of policy measures introduced by US President Donald Trump since he assumed office in January this year.
However, South Korea has the potential to transform this disaster into an opportunity for its deeply polarised political community to unite in support of a supplementary budget.
There is strong public support for providing sufficient financial assistance to the affected residents swiftly through a supplementary budget, which could serve as a unifying force.
This budget would primarily focus on aiding recovery efforts for the affected residents while simultaneously providing desperately needed funding for the artificial intelligence (AI) industry – a sector that holds immense promise for the nation’s future.
Late last year, South Korea boldly declared its ambitious goal of positioning itself at the forefront of the global race for AI innovation within three years.
At that time, the country proudly asserted that it was one of the few nations with a comprehensive AI ecosystem – encompassing producers of high-end hardware, developers of foundational models, providers of commercially viable services and a market ready to embrace innovation.
However, political turmoil soon followed. President Yoon unexpectedly declared martial law in early December, only to revoke it hours later at the request of more than two-thirds of lawmakers – including members of his own party – and was subsequently suspended from duty by the impeachment motion.
Adding to the turbulence, Chinese startup DeepSeek’s launch of a groundbreaking chatbot service sent shock waves through global financial and technological circles, showcasing China’s remarkable progress in AI despite years of strict US sanctions aimed at limiting China’s access to key technological resources.
The DeepSeek development not only demonstrated China’s capabilities, but it also reignited fierce competition among major nations, including South Korean rivals.
It underscored that even those considered slow starters can now rapidly close the gap with leaders through substantial financial and political support.
South Korea’s Science and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry, which oversees the nation’s AI policy, responded swiftly by revising its plans initially announced at the inaugural meeting of the Presidential Committee on AI in September 2024.
The ministry has now pledged to expedite and enhance its plans to establish a national computing centre to support AI developers.
However, prolonged political deadlock has stalled discussions on the supplementary budget, as ruling and opposition parties remain preoccupied with disputes over the impeachment trial instead.
Yoo Sang-im, minister of science and ICT, has repeatedly emphasised the growing risks of the country falling behind in the AI race and has called for the urgent introduction of a supplementary budget to facilitate the acquisition of high-end graphics processing units and related hardware to bolster national computing power.
As Yoo rightly pointed out, time and investment are critical in the global race for AI leadership.
The additional one trillion to two trillion won may seem only modest and could fall far short of making a significant impact, particularly when countries such as France are committing billions of dollars to new AI investments.
Leading members of both the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea at the parliament’s science committee, which is responsible for AI policy affairs, have expressed their readiness on various occasions to support the Science Ministry’s request for additional funding through the supplementary budget.
Even if it’s already late, action must begin now rather than later.
While the wildfire was an immense tragedy not only for the affected residents but for the entire country, it also presents a unique opportunity to advance the supplementary budget – not just to aid those directly impacted, but to safeguard South Korea’s vision of becoming a global AI powerhouse. — The Korea Herald/ANN
Yoo Choon-sik worked for nearly 30 years at Reuters, including as the chief South Korea economics correspondent, and briefly worked as a business strategy consultant. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.
