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Naver AI Leader Appointed as South Korea’s First Senior Presidential Secretary for Artificial Intelligence
South Korea appoints Ha Jung-woo as its first senior secretary for AI, emphasizing AI infrastructure and policy. This move highlights the government’s focus on AI sovereignty and global collaboration.
South Korea Appoints First Senior Secretary for Artificial Intelligence
President Lee Jae-myung has appointed Ha Jung-woo, a leading AI expert from Naver, as South Korea’s inaugural senior presidential secretary for artificial intelligence affairs. This newly created position signals a strategic commitment to advancing the country's AI infrastructure and policy framework.
Ha will report directly to the presidential chief of staff for policy, reflecting the high priority the government places on AI development. His appointment marks the first time South Korea’s presidential office has assigned a senior secretary specifically to oversee investments and policies related to AI.
Ha Jung-woo: Advocate for AI Sovereignty
Ha Jung-woo has been a vocal proponent of Korea’s independent AI capabilities. He emphasizes the need for stronger government policy support, international diplomatic efforts, and broad investment in AI infrastructure. Ha argues that securing AI accelerators and enabling domestic companies to develop Korean large language models (LLMs) as open source are critical steps to foster local AI ecosystems.
In recent public statements, Ha highlighted the importance of international collaboration, stating that becoming a global AI leader requires alliances beyond domestic efforts. He advocates for Korea to lead a coalition of middle-power countries concerned about technological dependence, proposing this initiative be raised at the G7 summit with follow-up actions at the APEC meeting.
Ha holds bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in computer science from Seoul National University. He has spent nine years at Naver, leading AI research and development, including the commercialization of the Korean LLM through roles at CLOVA AI Research and the AI Innovation Center.
New Deputies Appointed to National Security
Alongside Ha’s appointment, President Lee named three deputy directors for national security, each tasked with critical roles in military affairs, foreign diplomacy, and economic security.
- Kim Hyun-jong, former chief of staff of the Ground Operations Command, was appointed as the first deputy national security director. A retired three-star general, Kim previously served under the Moon Jae-in administration as a defense reform secretary. His role will focus on military reform, particularly addressing units involved in martial law operations during the prior administration.
- Lim Woong-soon, currently Ambassador to Canada, was named second deputy national security director responsible for foreign affairs and diplomacy. Lim’s experience includes political minister at the Korean Embassy in Washington and deputy consul general in New York.
- Oh Hyun-joo, Korea’s first female ambassador to the Vatican, was appointed third deputy national security director overseeing economic security. She has a background as director-general for development cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The establishment of these roles reflects a comprehensive approach by the South Korean government to integrate AI policy with national security and diplomatic strategy.
For government professionals interested in the development of AI policy and infrastructure, Ha Jung-woo’s appointment signals a new phase of focused attention on AI sovereignty and international collaboration. This move may also influence policy frameworks in other sectors, including defense and economic security.
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