韩国推进340亿韩元Physical AI技术并提及制造业隐性知识数字化

▲AI PRISM* Customized Economic Briefing
*Editor's Note: 'AI PRISM' (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an 'AI-based customized news recommendation and summary service' developed with support from the Korea Press Foundation. It selects and provides six customized news items by reader type.
[Key Issue Briefing]
■ Attempt to Convert Craftsmen's Tacit Knowledge into AI Training Data: As the retirement of baby boomer skilled workers accelerates, the crisis of technological disconnection at manufacturing sites is becoming a reality. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has selected 30 projects for its manufacturing tacit knowledge-based AI model development program, and the Ministry of Science and ICT has launched the development of physical AI leading technology worth 34 billion won.
■ AI-Driven Entry-Level Hiring Cliff, College Unemployment at Peak: In the second quarter of this year, the number of unemployed with a college degree or higher reached 481,000, the highest level in five years since COVID-19. As experts analyze that AI is replacing jobs with less than five years of experience the most, the diagnosis is that the decline in entry-level hiring is solidifying as a structural phenomenon.
■ Household Loan Target Exceeded… Banks Raise Lending Barriers Across the Board: The household loan balance at the five major commercial banks has exceeded 777 trillion won, already surpassing the annual growth target. With KB Kookmin Bank moving to reduce existing balances by waiving early repayment fees on credit loans, the outlook is that the volume management stance will continue into the second half.
[News of Interest to New Employees]
1. "Craftsmen as Instructors Training AI"… Honoring Masters to Prevent Technological Disconnection
Key Summary: As the aging of skilled workers puts manufacturing sites' tacit knowledge at risk of disappearing, the government and companies are accelerating efforts to prepare countermeasures. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy selected 30 projects for its manufacturing tacit knowledge-based AI model development program, and the Ministry of Science and ICT launched a physical AI leading technology development program worth 34 billion won. POSCO is pursuing a plan to select skilled technicians as "POSCO Masters" and convert tacit knowledge into digital assets, while Hanwha Ocean has embarked on physical AI demonstrations that train robots on workers' motion data. The industry increasingly voices that craftsmen should be redefined not as mere data providers but as instructors who train and verify AI.
2. College-Educated Unemployed Reach 481,000 in Q2… Highest Since COVID-19
Key Summary: In the second quarter of this year, the number of unemployed with a college degree or higher reached 481,000, the highest level in five years since the COVID-19 pandemic. The unemployment rate for those with a college degree or higher was 3.0% in the second quarter, up 0.2 percentage points from the same period a year earlier, while the college unemployment rate for those in their 20s soared to 8.3%, the highest level since 2021. With companies favoring experienced hires and expanding open recruitment, the number of unemployed without work experience turned to an increase for the first time in five years. As experts analyze that AI is replacing jobs with less than five years of experience the most, the diagnosis is that the reduction in entry-level hiring is settling in as a structural phenomenon.
3. "The Next Wave of Innovation Is AGI… Korea Will Be the Biggest Beneficiary"
Key Summary: Christine Tsai, CEO of 500 Global, cited artificial general intelligence (AGI) and artificial superintelligence (ASI) as the hottest topics for the coming years, and predicted that Korea will be a major beneficiary. 500 Global is a U.S. venture capital firm with 2 billion dollars in assets under management that has invested in more than 3,000 companies worldwide, and it announced concentrated investment in Korean deep tech developers in advanced manufacturing, robotics, and semiconductor fields. The analysis is that as bottlenecks in AI semiconductors, electronic components, and manufacturing data intensify during the development of AGI and ASI, capital will flow to companies holding excellent related resources. Noting that Korea's software capabilities have also grown to a considerable level, the firm's position is that it will pour more effort into expanding investment and planning early-stage company growth programs this year.
[Reference News for New Employees]
4. KB Waives Early Repayment Fees… This Time Inducing Early Repayment of Credit Loans
Key Summary: KB Kookmin Bank is waiving early repayment fees on personal credit loans (0.18% based on fixed rates) from the 20th until the end of the year, moving to reduce existing loan balances. As of the 15th of this month, the household loan balance at the five major commercial banks was 777.2306 trillion won, already exceeding the annual growth target, with the increase in credit loans reaching twice that of mortgage loans. Shinhan, NH NongHyup, Woori, and Hana Bank are also intensifying regulatory measures, such as limiting credit loan ceilings to a maximum of 100 million won. With inducement of existing balance repayment following restrictions on new loans, the outlook is that funding conditions for genuine borrowers will worsen further.
5. Amid Swings in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix… Retirement Pension Retail Investors Sigh
Key Summary: In the aftermath of the sharp decline in large-cap semiconductor stocks, subscribers who put semiconductor-tracking ETFs in their retirement pension accounts are seeing mixed returns. Subscribers who incorporated "KODEX Semiconductor" in March this year recorded a return of 52%, while May and June subscribers plunged to -17.8% and -23.7%, respectively. For "TIGER Semiconductor TOP10" as well, the return gap between March subscribers (31%) and May (-26%) and June (-27%) subscribers was pronounced. The securities industry points out that retirement pension accounts also need diversified investment and active rebalancing in line with market conditions.
6. JPMorgan Strategist: "Multi-Asset Investment Strategy Important in Volatile Markets"
Key Summary: David Lebovitz, global strategist at JPMorgan, expects volatile markets to continue through the end of this year and stressed the need to build a multi-asset-based portfolio. He pointed to a resurgence of inflation, rather than a recession, as the most threatening factor over the next year, with the analysis that in such a case the diversification effect of bonds could weaken. The outlook is that real assets such as real estate and infrastructure will produce favorable income-generating effects as inflation hedges. Regarding AI semiconductors, while acknowledging short-term volatility, he assessed their long-term profit-generating capacity quite positively.
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