Korean Technocrat Sparks Debate Over ‘Citizen Dividend’ From AI

A veteran Korean technocrat who built a reputation for handling financial turmoil posted a late-night essay about how the country should use a potential record-breaking tax haul from the AI boom. Soon after the market opened the next morning, it started tanking.

Kim Yong-beom, who serves as presidential policy chief, is one of the most decorated economic crisis managers in the country. But on Tuesday, he found himself at the center of a controversy over his Facebook post, which argued that if the AI infrastructure rollout leads to unprecedented tax revenue, policymakers should begin thinking seriously about how that wealth ought to be used.