Liabooks Home|PRISM News
Digital graphic showing Korea's AI project results with neural networks
TechAI Analysis

Naver and NC Soft Out: Who Leads the South Korea Government AI Foundation Model Race?

2 min readSource

Naver and NC Soft were eliminated from the South Korea government AI foundation model project on Jan 15, 2026. LG, SKT, and Upstage proceed. Here's why originality mattered.

The race for South Korea's national AI has its first casualties, and they're industry heavyweights. On January 15, 2026, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that consortiums led by Naver Cloud and NC AI have been eliminated from the government-led competition to develop the nation's homegrown AI foundation models.

South Korea Government AI Foundation Model: First Round Winners

With the goal of becoming one of the world's top three AI powerhouses, the government is pouring resources into establishing a sovereign AI infrastructure. The three teams that cleared the first hurdle are led by LG AI Research, SK Telecom, and Upstage. LG emerged as the frontrunner, receiving the highest marks in mathematical capability and knowledge depth.

Announcement of first-round evaluation results; Naver and NC eliminated.
Final selection of two teams to lead the national AI infrastructure project.

The most striking news was the elimination of Naver, often considered Korea's AI leader. Experts pointed out a lack of originality, alleging the model incorporated weights from China's Qwen model. Ryu Je-myung, Second Vice Science Minister, didn't hold back, stating that simply using pre-trained weights is like "piggybacking on others' work."

This content is AI-generated based on source articles. While we strive for accuracy, errors may occur. We recommend verifying with the original source.

LG AI ResearchNaver CloudSouth Korea government AI foundation modelMinistry of ScienceAI Sovereignty

Thoughts

Related Articles

Graphic representing the competition for South Korea's AI foundation model development.
TechEN
Naver and NC Eliminated: The 2026 Race for Korea's Homegrown AI Foundation Model

Naver and NCsoft were eliminated from South Korea's national AI foundation model competition on Jan 15, 2026. LG and SKT advance as the ministry prioritizes originality.

Can a $40 Smartphone Close the Digital Divide?
TechEN
Can a $40 Smartphone Close the Digital Divide?

A GSMA-led coalition is pushing ultra-low-cost 4G phones into six African markets. The target price is bold. The obstacles — component costs, taxes, thin margins — are real.

Pichai's $692M Package Is a Strategy Memo in Disguise
TechEN
Pichai's $692M Package Is a Strategy Memo in Disguise

Alphabet's new pay deal for Sundar Pichai links his compensation to Waymo and Wing performance—signaling where Google is placing its biggest bets. Here's what investors should actually read into it.

She Quit OpenAI Over a Pentagon Deal. Here's Why That Matters.
TechEN
She Quit OpenAI Over a Pentagon Deal. Here's Why That Matters.

Caitlin Kalinowski resigned from OpenAI's robotics team over its rushed Pentagon agreement. Her departure raises hard questions about AI governance, speed, and who holds the line inside big tech.