[Interview] NAIRL Director on CNN: Inside South Korea’s AI Boom

Kee-Eung Kim, Director of the National AI Research Lab (NAIRL) and Professor at KAIST Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI, was interviewed as a key expert for “Marketplace Asia,” CNN International’s monthly business program, in a feature examining South Korea’s AI and technology boom. The segment aired worldwide throughout August.

In the interview, Director Kim noted that South Korea is one of the few countries beyond the U.S. and China with a full stack for AI development, pointing to its world-leading memory semiconductors, companies building frontier AI models, a nationwide push to construct data centers, and one of the world’s first comprehensive AI laws in effect. He also discussed how demographic shifts are accelerating Korea’s transition toward physical AI, and projected that Korea’s strengths in manufacturing, semiconductors, and human talent position it to become a global AI powerhouse.

The interview reflects growing international attention to Korea’s AI ecosystem. As Korea’s leading AI research consortium, NAIRL continues to connect the domestic research community with global partners and to share Korea’s AI vision with audiences worldwide.

Link: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/24/business/video/south-korea-ai-robots-technology-boom-mpa-hnk-spc