▲ President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on July 16, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

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SEOUL, July 16 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday that better utilizing South Korea's strengths could make the nation a global leader rather than a follower in the rapidly evolving era of artificial intelligence (AI).

Lee made the remarks while receiving briefings from the science ministry and other government agencies on the progress of their policy initiatives.

"The world is undergoing a civilization-level transformation driven by AI. I think it is tantamount to humankind's discovery of fire or the invention of the steam locomotive or electricity," the president said.

"If we make the best use of our strengths and address our weaknesses, we could become a leading player rather than a follower," the president said, calling the AI era "a decisive opportunity" for South Korea.

"An opportunity, if it is not put to the best use, can become another crisis," the president added, instructing relevant ministries to make thorough preparations for the AI era.

The remarks come as South Korea seeks to establish itself as a global AI powerhouse. Last month, the Lee administration announced three megaprojects involving major investments, totaling over 4,000 trillion won (US$2.68 trillion), in a semiconductor production cluster, physical AI and AI data centers.

The president stressed that the government's tightening of personal information protection rules is not aimed at any particular company, as the country's privacy watchdog plans to strengthen penalties for corporate breaches of personal information.

"This is clearly a position the South Korean government is taking based on the law and policy, rather than with any company in mind," Lee said.

The president did not elaborate further, but the remarks came amid continued complaints from Washington over Seoul's investigation into a massive data leak involving U.S.-listed Coupang.

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