Need for qualified instructors and clear ethical boundaries become apparent
By Jung Da-hyun
Local governments throughout Korea are intensifying their efforts to nurture artificial intelligence (AI) experts by creating specialized departments and education centers, recognizing AI as a key driver of future development.
AI has proven to be a groundbreaking tool for the Seoul Metropolitan Government, particularly in its support system for combating digital sex crimes. The technology automates the detection and removal of explicit content through 24-hour monitoring, significantly enhancing efforts to curb online exploitation.
As a result, the number of cases where explicit content was successfully removed increased from 6,010 in 2023 to 11,603 in 2024, according to the city government.
Such applications of AI have sparked increased interest in the technology among public officials, with the number of city government employees who completed AI training last year tripling compared to 2023.
Meanwhile, as the drive for AI development accelerates, there is a growing demand for stronger cyber ethics education, especially in light of increasing concerns over China’s new AI model from DeepSeek.
Local governments see AI as a crucial driver of the future economy and high-value sectors in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, resulting in a heightened focus on AI-related initiatives.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to incorporate AI into every facet of city governance, including the economy, transportation, welfare and health care.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon held a meeting earlier this month to discuss strategies for integrating AI into city administration and maximizing its widespread application.
In line with this approach, the city government plans to launch customized AI education programs for all municipal employees and create procedures to incorporate AI into administrative operations.
Oh urged city officials to leverage all available resources to position Seoul as a key player in the international AI race. He also emphasized his vision of transforming Seoul into a leading AI hub.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, third from left, speaks during an executive meeting to discuss strategies for incorporating artificial intelligence into city administration at Seoul City Hall, Friday. Yonhap
Gyeonggi Provincial Government will invest 496 billion won ($341.5 million) by 2029 to strengthen regional innovation and education initiatives aimed at fostering education in AI and technology.
Through the project, it will train 11,000 individuals annually for five years, including 6,000 high-level professionals in seven key key future industries — including AI, big data, semiconductors and biotechnology — and 5,000 skilled workers for local industries.
Busan Metropolitan City has been operating the Busan Digital Innovation Academy since 2022, with a goal of training 10,000 IT specialists by 2026.
The program offers a full spectrum of training, from basic to advanced professional education, leveraging local universities and information and communication technology research centers.
By training local youth with IT and software skills and connecting them with small and medium-sized enterprises, the initiative aims to revitalize regional businesses and create a sustainable employment ecosystem.
A class on AI education is held at an AI education center in Daegu. Courtesy of Daegu AI Hub
Not only local governments but also education offices nationwide are accelerating efforts to cultivate AI experts by establishing dedicated institutions and specialized programs.
The Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education established an AI education center with a 4.5 billion won investment from the Ministry of Education’s special grants, aiming to foster creative experts in AI, big data, virtual reality and augmented reality.
The facility is located at Sindang Middle School in Daegu, which was closed last March due to declining student enrollment.
In addition, Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education has designated four AI-focused high schools and 20 leading schools to run specialized AI education programs this year.
In particular, the city is prioritizing teacher training, offering 140 AI-related courses, including programs in collaboration with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) and AI convergence graduate programs.
A screen displays a message that the DeepSeek website is blocked on a PC at Government Complex Seoul, Feb. 6. Yonhap
Meanwhile, concerns over AI are intensifying, particularly in light of concerns about excessive user data collection and potential information leaks created by China’s new AI model from DeepSeek.
Following guidelines from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, 15 out of 17 local governments nationwide have now blocked access to DeepSeek’s AI model on business-use computers. This action marks a more decisive step than previous warnings about entering non-public information into generative AI, as it directly prevents access to the service.
In addition, a number of central government ministries in Korea have also begun restricting officials from using DeepSeek’s AI program.
Need for qualified educators and guidelines
Experts largely support the growing trend of local governments investing in AI education and research initiatives. However, they also stress the need for qualified educators and clearer ethical standards.
Moon Hyung-nam, a professor at the Division of Global Convergence at SookMyung Women’s University and president of the Korea AI Education Association, pointed out that a major issue with local governments’ AI-focused initiatives is the lack of proper infrastructure and professional expertise.
“There are many non-specialist AI instructors who have not majored in AI but simply know how to use AI tools, especially in education aimed at the general public,” he said.
Moon emphasized that AI education should teach not only how to use the technology but also how to correct AI errors.
He noted that it can be done not just by developers but also by regular users inputting accurate information. Unfortunately, most courses focus on how to interact with AI rather than its underlying principles.
“To effectively educate AI at the local government level, we need to cultivate a pool of qualified AI instructors who can provide proper training in the field,” he said.
Moon also suggested that local governments should collaborate with universities and research institutes to develop a network of expert instructors.
“Developing practical AI education programs in cooperation with AI companies and expanding employment-linked education are also critical components of effective AI training,” he said.
Choung Wan, a law professor at Kyung Hee University, expressed strong support for increased investments and research in AI, both at the local and national levels.
“I believe that investing in and researching artificial intelligence as much as possible is the right direction, not only for local governments but for the country as a whole,” he said.
However, Choung also underscored the need for clear ethical standards, noting that AI-related cybercrimes are difficult for humans to predict.
“Establishing clear ethical standards and incorporating these guidelines into AI development is the first step,” he said.
“As self-developing artificial intelligence presents the potential for more unpredictable situations, it is crucial to establish a task force of experts to conduct in-depth research on both strong ethical standards and AI development.”
