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DeepSeek Unveils Advanced AI Models Challenging Industry Leaders
Dec. 4, 2025 | Technology & Innovation

DeepSeek unveiled its latest AI models designed to rival the leading solutions in artificial intelligence.

**DeepSeek released DeepSeek V3.2 and a high-compute variant, V3.2-Spechiale.**
The company claims the base V3.2 rivals OpenAI’s GPT-5 in overall performance, and that V3.2-Spechiale matches Google DeepMind’s Gemini 3 Pro in inference while outperforming GPT-5 on select benchmarks.

**Moreover, V3.2-Spechiale reportedly achieved “gold medal-level” results at the 2025 International Mathematical Olympiad and the International Olympiad in Informatics—benchmarks previously met only by private models from OpenAI and Google DeepMind.**
These results demonstrate DeepSeek’s capacity to handle advanced mathematical and algorithmic challenges at the highest levels.

**In terms of pricing, DeepSeek charges $0.28 per million input tokens and $0.42 per million output tokens for V3.2-Spechiale.**
By contrast, Gemini 3 Pro’s API fees reach $4 per million input tokens and $18 per million output tokens. This significant price gap positions DeepSeek as a competitive alternative for high-performance AI inference.

**However, DeepSeek admits V3.2-Spechiale requires more tokens than Gemini 3 Pro to produce equivalent outputs, potentially raising service costs and increasing processing latency.**
This inefficiency in token usage could affect customers’ overall spending and throughput when scaling deployments.

**DeepSeek developed V3.2 and V3.2-Spechiale amid US export controls that restrict high-performance GPU sales to China.**
Despite these constraints, the company used fewer floating-point operations (FLOPs) in training than its US peers, indicating progress in training efficiency and model optimization.
SoftWave 2025 Showcases AI Innovation and Industry Strategies in Seoul
Dec. 4, 2025 | Technology & Innovation

Industry leaders and professionals gathered at SoftWave 2025 in Seoul to explore emerging trends in artificial intelligence and software.

**SoftWave 2025 takes place from December 3rd to 5th at COEX in Samseong-dong as the 10th Korea Software Exhibition and Korea’s largest AI and software–focused business event.**
The Electronic Times SoftWave Committee organizes the exhibition, co-sponsored by the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, NIPA, KOSA and other industry organizations. Approximately 300 companies—including Douzone Bizon, Hancom and TmaxSoft—occupy around 450 booths. A new AI pavilion features over 80 booths under the theme “Artificial Intelligence, the Core Technology to Lead the Future Software Industry,” showcasing domestic AI technologies and institutions alongside joint pavilions by AI and software promotion agencies.

**Building on this exhibition, the second day hosts SoftWave Summit 2025 under the theme “APEC 2025: Global Innovation and Domestic Strategy – Global Tech Leadership and Domestic AI·SW Innovation Strategy.” Government, industry and academic leaders gather to discuss global technology trends and strategies for domestic competitiveness.**
The program includes export consultations, a C-level meet-up, VIP booth tours and a special conference on “Digital Disaster Recovery System Construction Strategy” scheduled for December 4th in COEX Conference Room 401. Organizers anticipate that these sessions will drive business outcomes through cooperation, consultations and policy alignment.

**Kim Hyung-cheol, director of the Software Policy & Research Institute, called for a strategic shift in forecasting, policy and industrial approaches amid US–China technological competition.**
SPRi’s “Future Digital Technology Outlook” and “DaRT 2026” forecasts project a shift from traditional S-curve technology diffusion to a “shark fin” pattern, with weak-signal technologies rapidly evolving into general-purpose technologies. He identified brain–computer interfaces, distributed AI alignment and quantum sensing as ultra-fast-growth areas poised for significant expansion in healthcare, smart homes and gaming. Generative AI has become a baseline general-purpose technology, spawning development-assist tools, while metaverse-related technologies have waned in novelty.

**Lee Kyung-min of IDC described how CIOs must evolve from IT operators to digital orchestrators overseeing organizational redesign in the AI era.**
He noted that organizations now measure AI value across nine metrics—including growth and employee experience—rather than solely speed or cost. IDC forecasts that by 2027 half of all AI applications will stall at the proof-of-concept stage, and Lee recommended expanding enterprise-wide AI teams. He emphasized composite AI and AI agent orchestration frameworks as core technologies driving broader adoption. As enterprises integrate AI into operations, they prioritize job redesign over elimination, creating roles for data-driven practitioners, exception managers and AI ethics experts to embed governance and oversight functions.

**The Ministry of Science and ICT confirmed ongoing efforts to strengthen software policy and support AI-driven opportunities in manufacturing, finance, healthcare and public services.**
Its initiatives focus on building foundations for software-based value creation and facilitating AI applications across industry sectors.

**Industry stakeholders at the “AI Technology Standardization Seminar” hosted by the Korea Artificial Intelligence Industry Association pressed for practical AI standards tailored to manufacturing floors, large language model services and evolving global regulations.**
Representatives from the Korea Telecommunications Technology Association, the Medical Data Standardization Forum and private firms called for consistent definitions of variable names, data collection cycles, schemas and quality metrics. Jang Ha-young of Sseuromind stressed that factory data standardization is essential for predictive maintenance and energy efficiency. Lee Hye-jin of Tibel proposed a dual-layer verification framework combining general-purpose and domain-specific evaluation metrics via platforms like T-Lens. Mo Se-woong of SelectStar pointed to gaps between expanding regulations—such as the EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF and ISO/IEC 42001—and business implementation, and he recommended layered reliability frameworks that tie international and Korean standards to internal risk and quality management systems, supported by automated certification tools like “AI-Master” and “CAT.”

Monitored Intelligence for South Korea - Dec. 4, 2025


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Erudite Risk takes an all risks approach to intelligence reporting. We categorize key intelligence into one of 40 different risk intelligence categories.

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Lee says he considered apology for handling of anti-North leaflet issue but feared political attacks

Joongang Ilbo | English | News | Dec. 4, 2025 | North Korea

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stated that he had considered issuing a state-level apology for the previous administration's handling of anti-North Korean leaflet launches but refrained due to concerns it might provoke ideological conflict and political attacks. Speaking at a foreign media news conference marking the first anniversary of the Dec. 3 martial law crisis, Lee emphasized the risk of the issue becoming a tool for ideological confrontation or accusations of being pro-North.

Lee also highlighted the continued breakdown in communication with North Korea, noting Pyongyang's refusal to engage in dialogue despite South Korea's efforts. He expressed willingness to review South Korea-U.S. combined military exercises, which North Korea consistently condemns, as a potential step to facilitate dialogue. On U.S. relations, Lee described his interactions with former President Donald Trump as pragmatic and praised a recent deal on nuclear-propelled submarines, though he noted challenges in building these submarines in the U.S. and expressed preference for domestic construction for cost and time efficiency.

Regarding China, Lee looks forward to a future bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping. He reaffirmed his commitment to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and lauded South Korea’s democracy, which he named “K-democracy,” characterizing it as peaceful, direct, and driven by collective intelligence. Lee also indicated he has no immediate plans to reform South Korea's inheritance tax system.

On Russia, Lee acknowledged the importance of maintaining ties and continuing efforts to improve relations despite South Korea's participation in sanctions related to the Ukraine War. He expressed concern over progressing Russia-North Korea relations but emphasized persistence in diplomatic efforts.

2026 budget for inter-Korean cooperative projects restored to over 1 trillion won

Joongang Ilbo | English | News | Dec. 4, 2025 | UndeterminedBudgets-Budgeting

The Ministry of Unification's 2026 budget for inter-Korean cooperative projects has been restored to over 1 trillion won ($681.4 million), marking the first time in three years that the funding has surpassed this level. The National Assembly approved a total budget of 727.9 trillion won for the year, with 1.24 trillion won allocated to the Ministry of Unification—a 20.9 percent increase from the previous year.

Within the ministry's budget, slightly more than 1 trillion won is designated for inter-Korean cooperation, reflecting the government's efforts to revive stalled exchanges and economic projects between South and North Korea. Additionally, 12.3 billion won has been allocated in 2026 to begin construction of a "center for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula" in Seoul, with a total of 39.6 billion won planned for investment through 2030.

The budget also includes 480 million won for a project aimed at developing a tourist zone along the demilitarized zone (DMZ), with the long-term objective of transforming it into an inter-Korean cooperative area. President Lee Jae Myung has renewed peace overtures toward North Korea, proposing the restoration of communication channels as a foundation for peaceful coexistence. However, Pyongyang has so far not responded to Seoul's dialogue proposals.

Seoul commits to nuclear treaty obligations amid nuclear-powered submarine development plan

Yonhap | English | News | Dec. 4, 2025 | Geopolitical Conflict and Disputes

On December 2, 2025, the South Korean government reaffirmed its commitment to fully comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) obligations while pursuing plans to build nuclear-powered submarines and gain rights to reprocess spent nuclear fuel. This assurance was made during a high-level meeting in Seoul between Lee Chul, director of the International Organizations and Nuclear Affairs Bureau at South Korea’s foreign ministry, and Massimo Aparo, head of the Department of Safeguards at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

During the meeting, Lee pledged transparent cooperation with the IAEA, which was met with appreciation by Aparo, who expressed a desire to maintain close collaboration. They discussed ongoing developments in IAEA safeguards and shared views on verifying North Korea’s nuclear program. Both parties agreed to continue regular consultations and policy meetings to strengthen cooperation.

This development follows approval from U.S. President Donald Trump in October 2025, authorizing Seoul to deploy nuclear-powered submarines and acquire rights to enrich civil uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes. The discussions underscore South Korea’s efforts to advance its nuclear capabilities while maintaining international non-proliferation commitments.

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