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South Korea
Intelligence for Better Decision Making
DeepSeek Unveils Advanced AI Models Challenging Industry Leaders
Dec. 4, 2025 | Technology & InnovationDeepSeek 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 & InnovationIndustry 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
News
Media
296
Government
Releases
27
City/State
Releases
32
Embassy
Releases
0
Foreign
Service
Advisories
0
Service
Advisories
0
Academic/
Think
Tank
5
Think
Tank
5
Podcasts
0
Videos
0
Social
Media
0
Business
Releases
1
Erudite Risk takes an all risks approach to intelligence reporting. We categorize key intelligence into one of 40 different risk intelligence categories.
The goal is to provide intelligence that allows decision makers to avoid being blindsided by what they may have missed, while informing them to make better decisions as well.
Risk Categories Reported on Today
Risk Category
Items Reported On
Crime
4
Corporate Corruption or Fraud
5
Political Scandal or Corruption
10
Regulation
17
North Korea
9
Geopolitical Conflict and Disputes
5
Cyber Attacks and Data Loss
5
Protest, Demonstration, Dissent
4
Privacy
7
IP Protection
1
Climate Change
4
Accidents
2
Supply Chain Issues
1
Epidemics and Pandemics
3
Extreme Weather Events
2
Erudite Risk also includes operations categories so you can monitor the environment for better decision making. Everything is tied together--what happens in risk affects operations and what happens in the market impacts risk profiles.
We categorize key intelligence into one of 30 different operations intelligence categories.
Different roles and functions within the organization can monitor different key issue areas. HR may monitor employment, wages, regulations, labor and management relations, etc., while P&L leaders may monitor overall developing trends.
Operations Categories Reported on Today
Operations Category
Items Reported On
Asset Price Change
8
Tech Development/Adoption
20
Operating Results
4
Budgets-Budgeting
10
Supply Chain Issues
1
IP Protection
1
Trade Issues and Numbers
5
Economic Growth
9
Politics and Elections
2
Inflation
2
Employment
1
Demographics
4
Bizdev-Partnering
8
Mergers & Acquisitions
5
Real Estate
6
Wages and Compensation
1
Investor Sentiment
1
Financial System Problems
1
Legal Exposure
2
“EUV 돌파구 노린다” 美 정부, 엑스라이트 1.5억달러 투자…팻 겔싱어 전 인텔 CEO 지원
US Government Aims for EUV Breakthrough with $150 Million Investment in X-Rite Supported by Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger
Digital Daily | Local Language | News | Dec. 4, 2025 | UndeterminedTech Development/Adoption
The U.S. government plans to invest up to $150 million in XLight, a semiconductor startup founded by former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, as part of a strategic move to support next-generation chip technology. This investment involves the U.S. Department of Commerce providing financial incentives to XLight in exchange for equity, potentially making the government the largest shareholder in the company. XLight focuses on developing ultra-precise laser technology to enhance extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography processes, which are critical for integrating more circuits onto semiconductors.
This investment signals a shift in U.S. policy from traditional incentive-based support toward direct equity acquisition in strategic industries, particularly in areas like EUV lithography that are geopolitically significant within the semiconductor supply chain involving the U.S., Netherlands, and Japan. The move aligns with efforts to bolster domestic manufacturing capabilities and accelerate innovation in advanced lithography technologies. The initiative embodies a broader strategy of direct government intervention to secure core technological competencies amid intensifying global competition in the semiconductor sector.
Cybersecurity firm warns of fake tax invoices with North Korea-linked malware
Joongang Ilbo | English | News | Dec. 4, 2025 | Cyber Attacks and Data Loss
A cybersecurity firm, ESTSecurity, has identified fake tax invoice files containing malware linked to North Korean hackers targeting South Koreans. These files are infected with the KimJongRAT remote access Trojan, which is associated with the North Korean hacking group Kimsuky.
The malicious files appear as PDFs but actually contain shortcuts directing users to download harmful code. ESTSecurity highlighted that the malware is specifically designed to target South Korean users and remains effective in environments with weak security protections, despite Microsoft's efforts to improve security.
The firm recommended that users keep their software up to date and verify file extensions before opening files to avoid infection.
Korea to triple onshore wind power generation by 2030 in bid to achieve carbon neutrality
Joongang Ilbo | English | News | Dec. 4, 2025 | Climate Change
Korea plans to triple its onshore wind power capacity to 6 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, up from the current 2 GW, as part of its strategy to expand environmentally friendly energy sources and achieve carbon neutrality. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced this target at the inaugural meeting of an intergovernmental task force dedicated to accelerating onshore wind power deployment.
Beyond 2030, Korea aims to increase onshore wind capacity further to 12 GW by 2035. The government also intends to reduce the cost of onshore wind power generation from 180 won ($0.10) per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to below 150 won per kWh by 2030.
To support these goals, Korea plans to hold bids for the distribution of 300 domestically manufactured wind turbines over the next five years and to back the development of small- and medium-sized turbines. Additionally, investments will be made in technologies to connect wind power facilities with energy storage systems and heat pumps.
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