South Korea's AI Independence Dream Confronts Reality Check

Seoul's ambitious plan to develop homegrown artificial intelligence technology has hit turbulent waters. Recent investigations reveal that several South Korean AI models, developed with government support to reduce foreign dependence, contain substantial portions of code originating from Chinese tech giants.

The Uncomfortable Discovery

The controversy erupted when analysts noticed striking similarities between South Korean models and open-source projects from China's Zhipu AI, Alibaba, and DeepSeek. Startup Upstage found itself at the center of the storm after its modules appeared nearly identical to Zhipu's offerings - complete with original copyright notices still embedded in the code.

"It's like finding someone else's family photos in your wedding album," commented one Seoul-based software engineer who requested anonymity. "The resemblance goes beyond just borrowing ideas - we're talking about direct copying in some cases."

Industry Giants Drawn Into Debate

The ripple effects quickly reached South Korea's tech titans. Naver, often called "Korea's Google," faced scrutiny over similarities between its visual encoder technology and Alibaba's systems. Meanwhile, SK Telecom found itself explaining why portions of its reasoning code mirrored DeepSeek's architecture.

Company representatives argue that modern AI development inevitably builds on existing frameworks. "Nobody writes every line from scratch anymore," explained a Naver spokesperson. "What matters is how you adapt and improve these foundations."

Government Walks Tightrope

The Ministry of Science and ICT finds itself balancing between encouraging innovation and maintaining technological sovereignty goals. Surprisingly, officials have adopted a measured response despite earlier rhetoric about reducing foreign dependence.

"Vigorous debate shows our industry is alive and kicking," remarked Science Minister Lee Jong-ho during a press briefing last week. The ministry confirmed it would proceed with evaluating competition entries as planned, maintaining its target to field globally competitive domestic AI by 2027.

Expert Opinions Divided

The revelations have split South Korea's tech community:

• Pragmatists argue that rejecting open-source tools puts local developers at a disadvantage
• Purists warn that over-reliance on foreign code undermines national security objectives
• Middle-ground voices suggest developing better systems for tracking and acknowledging code origins

As one university researcher put it: "We need to stop pretending any country develops AI in complete isolation while still protecting our core interests."

The controversy continues unfolding even as selected models enter final testing phases. Whether this becomes a stumbling block or stepping stone for South Korea's AI ambitions remains to be seen.

Key Points:

• 🇰🇷 Sovereignty vs Reality: South Korea's push for independent AI clashes with practical realities of global tech development
• 💻 Code Controversy: Multiple domestic models show striking similarities to Chinese open-source projects
• 🤝 Industry Response: Tech firms defend using external tools while claiming core innovations are homegrown
• 🎯 Government Stance: Officials maintain long-term goals despite short-term embarrassment