Lee Jae Myung says "extraordinary excess profits" pose new policy challenge over AI chip boom
“This raises a new policy challenge for us: how should we approach such extraordinary excess profits from a socio-economic perspective and from the standpoint of national policy?”
Reported August 5, 2026 by hindustantimes.com. Checked word for word against that report.
South Korea is wrestling with the social and economic effects of the semiconductor boom tied to artificial intelligence, and President Lee Jae Myung has called the moment a defining test for policy. In a June interview with The Economist, Lee said the new wealth presented a fundamental challenge for how economic and national policy should respond; the next month his government announced a Future Response Fund meant to steer additional tax revenue toward future generations. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the chipmakers at the center of the surge, have posted huge profit gains from AI-related memory chips, while employees have sought larger bonuses and stock trading has been turbulent. The stakes extend beyond South Korea, since its response could serve as a preview for other countries facing AI-driven change.
- hindustantimes.com ↗︎05 AUG 2026