K-Moonshot Glossary
Comprehensive reference guide to the terminology, institutions, and concepts of Korea's national AI strategy
A
AI Accelerator
Specialized hardware for AI workloads. Korea targets sovereign AI silicon through Samsung HBM, SK Hynix, Rebellions, and FuriosaAI.
AI Framework Act
Korea's comprehensive AI regulation law, effective January 22, 2026. Second country after the EU to enact such legislation.
AX (AI Transformation)
Korea's programme to integrate AI across all industries. ₩6T five-year investment. AX Sprint Track provides fast-tracked financing.
B
BCI (Brain-Computer Interface)
Technology enabling direct communication between brain and external devices. K-Moonshot Mission 2 targets commercialization.
BK21 Four
Brain Korea 21 Four: flagship graduate education programme providing student stipends and international collaboration funding through the NRF.
C
Chaebol
Large Korean family-controlled conglomerates (Samsung, SK, LG, Hyundai, Hanwha). Key vehicles for K-Moonshot execution.
Critical Minerals
33 minerals designated strategic by Korea. 10 classified as 'strategic minerals.' Target: reduce import dependency to 50% by 2030.
D
Daedeok Innopolis
Korea's premier science and technology research cluster in Daejeon. Home to KAIST, ETRI, KIST, and Rainbow Robotics.
Digital New Deal
Korea's 2020 economic stimulus programme that laid groundwork for K-Moonshot through AI, data, and digital infrastructure investment.
E
ETRI
Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute. Developed world's first 6G CUPPS sensing system. Xanadu quantum partnership.
EXAONE
LG AI Research's foundation model. Ranked 7th worldwide in 2026. Supports physical AI as brain for KAPEX humanoid robot.
F
Foundation Model
Large AI model trained on broad data, adaptable to many tasks. Korea's sovereign AI programme funds 5 consortia to build domestic models.
Fusion Reactor
Nuclear fusion energy device. KSTAR holds world records. K-Moonshot Mission 4 targets demonstration reactor by 2035.
FuriosaAI
Korean AI chip unicorn. 20,000 NPU target for 2026. Rejected Meta acquisition. Planning 2027 IPO.
G
GIST
Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology. Government-funded research graduate school established 1993.
GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)
Hardware powering AI computation. Korea targets 260,000 NVIDIA GPUs by 2030 for sovereign AI infrastructure.
H
HBM (High Bandwidth Memory)
Advanced memory chips essential for AI. SK Hynix projects 70% HBM4 market share. Samsung surging production 50%.
HyperCLOVA X
Naver's proprietary large language model. Trained on 6,500x more Korean data than GPT-4. Omnimodal capabilities.
Humanoid Robot
Human-form robots. K-Moonshot Mission 6. Hyundai/Boston Dynamics, Samsung/Rainbow Robotics, Doosan lead development.
I
IITP
Institute for Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation. Manages ICT R&D programmes under MSIT.
ITER
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor in France. KSTAR serves as pilot device, sharing data globally.
K
K-Moonshot
South Korea's national AI initiative launched March 11, 2026. 12 missions, 161 companies, ₩10.1T budget. Goal: resolve all missions by 2035.
K-CHIPS Act
Korea's semiconductor support legislation (March 2023). Up to 25% tax credit for facility investment, 50% for R&D.
K-STAR Visa
Streamlined immigration visa for global STEM talent. Full nationwide implementation in 2026 for AI and biotech specialists.
KAIST
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Launching stand-alone AI college in 2026 with 300 annual students.
KARI
Korea Aerospace Research Institute. Leads civil space operations from Jeju. Danuri lunar orbiter mission extended through 2027.
KIAT
Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology. Manages industrial technology R&D and commercialisation support.
KIST
Korea Institute of Science and Technology. Founded 1966. Quantum error correction breakthrough: 14% photon loss threshold (world's highest).
KSTAR
Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research. Held 100M°C plasma for 48 seconds. Targeting 300 seconds in 2026.
L
LG AI Research
LG Group's AI research division. Develops EXAONE/K-EXAONE foundation models. Building 200MW Paju AIDC for 120,000 GPUs.
M
MSP (Minerals Security Partnership)
Global multilateral initiative to diversify critical mineral supply chains. Korea chairs the partnership.
MSIT
Ministry of Science and ICT. Lead ministry for K-Moonshot. 2026 budget: ₩23.7T. Oversees NRF, IITP, KIAT.
Multi-Junction Solar Cell
Solar cell with multiple semiconductor layers for higher efficiency. K-Moonshot Mission 3 targets 35% by 2030.
N
NPU (Neural Processing Unit)
AI-optimised processor. Rebellions and FuriosaAI build Korea's domestic NPU capability for sovereign AI silicon.
NRF
National Research Foundation. Established 2009. Manages Creative Research Initiative, BK21 Four, and international research programmes.
P
Pangyo Techno Valley
Korea's premier technology hub south of Seoul. Home to major tech companies including Naver, Kakao, and numerous AI startups.
Physical AI
AI applied to robots and machines interacting with the physical world. K-Moonshot sector encompassing humanoid robots.
PIPA
Personal Information Protection Act. Korea's data protection law enacted 2011, amended 2023 for AI-specific provisions.
POSTECH
Pohang University of Science and Technology. Pivoting to AI hub with global AI data center and steel industry AI convergence.
Q
Quantum Error Correction
Technique to protect quantum information from errors. KIST achieved 14% photon loss threshold, the world's highest.
Quantum Computer
Computer using quantum mechanics. K-Moonshot Mission 12 targets 1,000-qubit system by early 2030s.
R
Rebellions
Korean AI chip startup. Merged with Sapeon Korea. ₩250B National Growth Fund investment. 2T won valuation. Rebel chip mass production 2026.
S
SMR (Small Modular Reactor)
Compact nuclear reactor. K-Moonshot Mission 5: HD Hyundai developing SMR-powered container ships.
SNU
Seoul National University. Targeting top 10 globally in AI. AI Native Campus initiative. Grand Quest research framework.
Sovereign AI
Nationally controlled AI infrastructure and models. Korea targets complete AI value chain localisation with 260,000 GPUs by 2030.
T
TIPS
Tech Incubator Program for Startups. Government programme pairing startups with experienced mentors and funding.
U
Upstage
Korean generative AI startup. Expected IPO H2 2026 (Korea's first public GenAI company). Solar Pro 2 LLM in world's top 10.
V
VEU (Validated End User)
US export control status. Samsung and SK Hynix had VEU revoked in August 2025, requiring individual licenses for China operations.
W
WIPO
World Intellectual Property Organization. Korea ranks 4th on WIPO Global Innovation Index 2025 (highest ever). 25,016 PCT applications.
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