Rookie Minister Gets $7 Billion to Catch US, China in AI Arena

Bae Kyung-HoonPhotographer: Woohae Cho/Bloomberg

Until he was named South Korea’s new science minister in July, Bae Kyung-Hoon was largely unknown in political circles, having spent his career focused on computer science.

Now, the surprise pick by President Lee Jae Myung is charged with an ambitious agenda: transforming the country into a global AI superpower.