Just following up on your data a little:
When you say that South Korea holds the third highest number of AI patents in the world - it might be worth pointing out that almost 60% of those patents are held by Samsung (see the article you linked), as opposed to in the USA where no one company seems to dominate to nearly the same extent.
Do you think a big company like Samsung can drive this kind of innovation on its own? Or do you think we'll see more, smaller Korean companies popping up to compete?
That's very important to point out, thanks @misdoma!
This is definitely a major obstacle for domestic development and this kingdom-esque attitude has led to Samsung and other conglomerates shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to global competition. Unfortunately, unless Samsung/SK Telekom/Hyundai/etc. proactively open up ways for startups to use their resources, I don't see many 'grassroots' entrepreneurial efforts coming about. This is a sobering reality...