Why do South Koreans love AI so much?

South Koreans are embracing artificial intelligence with an optimism unmatched among major economies, driven by a government-led push to make AI the engine of the next industrial revolution and a public that uses the technology daily for work, fortune-telling, and personal assistance [1]. Only 16% of South Koreans say they are more concerned than excited about AI, the lowest level among 25 countries surveyed by the Pew Research Center, compared with 50% of Americans who expressed greater worry than excitement [1]. A majority of citizens use AI every day, according to surveys by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry [1]. The enthusiasm has been cultivated by a national agenda that designates an AI-powered Fourth Industrial Revolution as the country's path forward, said Chihyung Jeon, a professor of science and technology policy at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology [1]. "South Koreans have consistently and relentlessly been told by the government about AI's potential to create a better future," Jeon said [1]. The government's strategy rests on its semiconductor champions. Samsung and SK Hynix supply most of the world's high-bandwidth memory chips, which power the Nvidia hardware used to train AI models [1]. SK Hynix, founded in 1983 as Hyundai Electronics, is one of the world's largest semiconductor vendors and, along with Samsung Electronics and Micron, forms the "Big Three" memory manufacturers [7]. High Bandwidth Memory, or HBM, was initially developed by Samsung, AMD and SK Hynix, and the first HBM memory chip was produced by SK Hynix in 2013 [8]. The country's main equity index, the Kospi, surged to record highs in 2026, powered by the soaring share prices of both companies, each valued above $1 trillion [1]. President Lee Jae-myung, who took office in 2025, launched the Presidential Council on National AI Strategy to secure massive computing power and fund a sovereign AI foundation model project [1]. In 2024, the legislature passed the AI Basic Act, one of the world's first comprehensive AI laws, establishing light-touch regulatory guardrails while prioritizing development [1]. Seventy percent of South Koreans say advancing science and medicine through AI innovation is a bigger priority than protecting industries through regulation, according to the 2026 Stanford AI Index [1]. The same index ranked South Korea as having the third largest number of notable AI models globally [1]. Despite the optimism, concerns persist. Sixty-four percent of South Koreans fear AI could displace human labor and exacerbate inequality, though 52% believe it could increase productivity [1]. After Hyundai announced plans to deploy Atlas humanoid robots across its car factories, the Hyundai Motor Group union protested, declaring that without a labor-management agreement, no robot using new technology would enter the workplace [1]. A 29-year-old insurance agent in Seoul said she uses ChatGPT feverishly at work, afraid of falling behind. "I sometimes fear AI, but for now, it's just so useful," she said [1]. Younger South Koreans are finding novel uses for the technology. Forty-six percent of South Koreans in their 20s have used a chatbot to read their fortunes, according to a survey by Korea Gallup [1]. The insurance agent said asking ChatGPT about work and dating was her favorite pastime, and she also uses it for stock-trading tips [1].