By Choonsik Yoo ( September 21, 2026, 04:22 GMT | Insight) -- South Korea is accelerating an AI-led transformation of its military as a shrinking pool of service members and changing forms of warfare make artificial intelligence increasingly critical to maintaining combat capabilities, a senior Defense Ministry official told MLex. The strategy extends beyond autonomous systems to building a homegrown ecosystem spanning AI models, infrastructure, hardware and testing, while bringing private companies deeper into military development. The shift could reduce South Korea's longstanding reliance on the US and strengthen its defense exporters through advanced AI capabilities.Adopting artificial intelligence in national defense is no longer a choice for South Korea as the country, technically at war for more than 70 years, confronts a deepening population decline, rapidly changing forms of modern warfare and shifting geopolitical dynamics, a senior defense ministry official told MLex....
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