Maximizing Korea's AI momentum

Korea must look beyond current record profits from Samsung and SK hynix in the AI boom to build new economic strengths, as the early internet era shows such booms are not indefinite. Politicians risk complacency by treating these profits as a new normal rather than investing in broader innovation.

There is a tendency to view the world through the status quo. If the economy is growing, the set expectation becomes that it will continue to do so. That mentality is already taking hold in Korea as it relates to soaring profits at Samsung Electronics and SK hynix from artificial intelligence AI . However, if Korea is to make the most of the current AI boom, it needs to think beyond the status quo to use this moment to create new strengths in the economy rather than just buttress existing ones. Current expectations are being driven by the record corporate profits from Samsung and SK hynix for high-bandwidth memory HBM that is critical to the continued development of AI. Many politicians now treat these profits as a new normal, debating how to spend additional tax revenue or whether to impose excess‑profit taxes on both firms. But there is no guarantee that this future will hold. Samsung and SK hynix will continue to be highly profitable companies in the near term, but we should not expect this run to last indefinitely. The early internet era illustrates why Korea must take a broade