South Korea

정지훈 파트너 "CES 2026, AI 유틸리티 시대 서막"

ZD Net Korea | Local Language | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | UndeterminedTech Development/Adoption

At CES 2026, Jihun Jung, founding partner of Asia2G Capital and adjunct professor at DGIST, declared the start of the "AI utility era," marking a shift from AI's flashy performance to practical AI applications that create value. He emphasized that this year’s CES was more focused on B2B rather than consumer markets, noting key exhibition areas such as Hyundai Motor’s presence in the West Hall and humanoid robots in the North Hall, while the traditionally prominent Central Hall saw less attention. Samsung notably opted out of the main exhibition hall and held separate events instead.

Jung identified four major battlegrounds for AI development after 2025: a new computing stack, human-AI interfaces, AI’s expansion into the physical world, and enterprise adoption challenges. He highlighted the growing importance of edge semiconductors amid the transition from inference centered on companies like NVIDIA to broader AI infrastructure. He noted that NVIDIA’s large energy consumption remains problematic compared to Qualcomm and startups like HyperExcel, in which Asia2G has invested.

Regarding future computing devices, Jung pointed to glasses-type devices becoming mainstream around 2029–2030, requiring new operating system and software stacks, with Qualcomm likely providing the standard chips. He critiqued China’s weak OS and software capabilities and predicted Microsoft is at risk due to increasing cloud-based tool adoption, with Google’s ecosystem gaining more prominence among younger users.

Jung observed that AI is extending into physical realms, with autonomous vehicle technology showcased prominently, exemplified by companies such as John Deere in agriculture, Caterpillar in construction, and Brunswick in marine yachts. He noted significant growth in AI and robotics innovation award winners at CES 2025 and 2026. Tesla was described as the "Apple of the physical AI era," with its end-to-end control both a strength and a weakness, while NVIDIA compensates for lacking hardware through partnerships, notably with Hyundai Motor.

The presentation also underscored a strong Hyundai-NVIDIA collaboration, likening it to the Google-Samsung smartphone alliance. Hyundai’s recruitment of former NVIDIA executive Park Min-woo as president overseeing autonomous driving signals deepening ties. Jung downplayed concerns over China’s robotics advances, noting their robots’ limited load capacity compared to Hyundai and Tesla.

Finally, Jung forecasted that AI, semiconductors, robotics, energy, and wearables will converge and drive the metaverse revolution over the next two decades, emphasizing that this multi-technology integration, not any single innovation, will spark transformative change occurring once every 10–20 years.

Yonhap | English | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | North Korea

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung revealed that North Korea is producing enough nuclear material annually to build 10 to 20 new nuclear weapons, emphasizing the critical need to resume diplomatic talks with Pyongyang to curb its nuclear weapons program. This disclosure, considered rare and based on classified intelligence shared by South Korean and U.S. agencies, highlights North Korea's ongoing expansion of its nuclear arsenal.

North Korea is operating highly enriched uranium production facilities in Yongbyon and Kangson, along with plutonium production at Yongbyon. These facilities can generate dozens of kilograms of nuclear material a year, sufficient for multiple weapons. Estimates from the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses indicate North Korea possessed between 115 and 131 uranium-based weapons and 15 to 19 plutonium-based weapons as of 2025, potentially rising to 216 uranium-based and 27 plutonium-based weapons by 2030, and further increasing through 2040.

President Lee stated that while complete denuclearization is the ideal outcome, the reality suggests North Korea is unlikely to abandon its nuclear program voluntarily. He proposed a practical approach starting with halting North Korea’s nuclear activities, then pursuing gradual reductions, and ultimately aiming for full denuclearization. Lee’s use of the term "disarmament" signals a renewed push to bring North Korea back to negotiations, despite Pyongyang’s firm stance that its nuclear arsenal is non-negotiable and essential for national security.

국정자원 화재 교훈 잊었나...민관 '오프라인 백업' 포기

ET News | Local Language | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | Critical Infrastructure Failure

The National Information Resources Service (NIRS) has discontinued the use of offline backups—physical isolation of data—in the Daegu Center's private-partnership cloud (PPP) zone. This decision removes the last line of defense against ransomware and large-scale network outages, despite a recent fire at NIRS's Daejeon headquarters that caused significant operational paralysis. Instead of physical, offline data dispersion using fireproof safes at the Gongju backup center, the three tenant cloud service providers (Samsung SDS, KT Cloud, and NHN Cloud) shifted to an online backup method via the "G-Cloud dispersion network" connecting the Daegu and Gongju centers.

Previously, NIRS stored data on physical media like tapes, kept disconnected from any network to protect against simultaneous compromise of original and backup data by disasters or cyberattacks. The new online backup approach, with continuous network connectivity, raises concerns about vulnerability to combined physical and cyber threats. This practice conflicts with the Electronic Government Act and National Information Security Basic Guidelines, which require remote data dispersion including physical isolation for systems rated "high" in importance. While remote dispersion is technically maintained via online transmission, abandoning the air gap undermines the intended security standards.

Additionally, the globally accepted "3-2-1 rule" for data protection—three copies on two media types with one offline backup—has been disregarded. Cost and administrative convenience are cited as primary reasons for abandoning offline dispersion; cloud service providers resisted the manual handling of physical tapes required by regulations, and government authorities deferred to CSPs' autonomy within the PPP zone contracts. NIRS officials noted they lack authority to impose offline backup mandates in privately operated PPP zones.

Security experts criticize this approach, noting major global cloud providers like Amazon AWS maintain isolated backup services despite additional costs. They emphasize that sacrificing critical security measures for convenience is unacceptable for nationally important data and call for urgent development of alternative protections such as logical air gaps.