South Korea
OECD
36%
10/28
AI Gap Index
5/10
Schools
1/8
Workforce
2/6
Governance
2/4
Access
Schools 5/10
D1 AI literacy curriculum exists in schools 1 The 'AI Talent Development Plan for All' introduces AI education from elementary school through postgraduate level, with AI Education Support Centers expanding to all 17 regional offices by 2028 and intelligent science labs in all schools by 2027. [1], [2]
D2 Curriculum is binding law or mandate 0
D3 Ethics component included in curriculum 1 AI Basic Act establishes AI ethics committees and references responsible AI development; ethics is embedded in the Act's overall framework though not mandated as a standalone school curriculum component. [1], [2]
D4 Teacher training mandated and funded before rollout 1 Teacher support is part of the AI Talent Development Plan — AI-equipped laboratories and professional development resources are part of the school rollout plan, though no pre-rollout legal mandate for teacher training is specified. [2]
D5 Dedicated funding attached to the requirement 2 Ministry of Science and ICT selected 7 universities to transform into AI-centred institutions, each receiving up to 24 billion won over 8 years via competitive government process with accountability requirements (May 2026). This complements the existing 1.4 trillion won AI Talent Development Plan — combined binding, funded, and accountable AI education investment at higher education level. [2]
Workforce 1/8
D6 Employers legally required to train all employees 0
D7 Training must cover ethics and critical evaluation 0
D8 Pre-redundancy training obligation exists 0
D9 Workers have rights when AI used in employment decisions 1 AI Basic Act requires transparency for individuals affected by high-risk AI systems in consequential decisions — a partial worker right covering high-impact AI contexts. [1]
Civil Service & Governance 2/6
D10 Civil servants working with AI must receive training 2 AI Basic Act (effective January 2026) establishes a National AI Committee chaired by the president, an AI Policy Center, and an AI Safety Research Institute — statutory bodies with legal mandate. MSIT holds supervisory authority with enforcement powers. [1]
D11 Minimum training standard is defined 0
D12 Enforcement mechanism exists with named authority 0
Public Access 2/4
D13 Free or publicly funded AI literacy resources available 1 The AI Talent Development Plan commits public investment in AI literacy resources, and AI Education Support Centers provide publicly funded training infrastructure. [2]
D14 Digital infrastructure support for schools and institutions 1 Intelligent science laboratories to be installed in all elementary, middle, and high schools by 2027 — a direct digital infrastructure commitment backed by national funding. [2]
Subregion map
Coloured regions are scored. Grey = no data yet. Click a region to open its profile.
Regions & states
Subregions inherit supranational obligations from their parent country but may have additional local policy. Scores reflect local policy only.
Region
Schools /10
Workforce /8
Governance /6
Access /4
Total
Gyeonggi Province
1
0
0
1
2 7%
Seoul
1
0
0
1
2 7%
Busan
0
0
0
0
0 0%
Incheon
0
0
0
0
0 0%
Index history
May 20, 2026 10/28 Dim 5 upgraded from 1 to 2: Ministry of Science and ICT selected 7 universities for AI transformation with up to 24B won each over 8 years via competitive selection with accountability requirements — binding, funded, and accountable AI education investment at higher education level.
March 25, 2026 9/28 Initial scoring based on AI Basic Act (effective January 2026) with statutory governance bodies, and AI Talent Development Plan with 1.4 trillion won dedicated education investment.