Asien: Trotz KI-Boom – Südkoreas Präsident warnt vor Ungleichheit
Die südkoreanische Wirtschaft wächst so stark wie lange nicht mehr. Dennoch warnt Südkoreas Präsident Lee Jae Myung vor Spannungen. Die Jugendproteste in Europa sieht er als warnendes Beispiel.
Seoul - South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung has warned of growing inequality and social tensions despite an economic boom driven by Artificial Intelligence. In his annual budget speech at Parliament, Lee emphasized that not all segments of the population benefited equally from the economic gains. He specifically highlighted the challenges faced by young people in entering the workforce, stating, "What good is it for the country's economy to do well if my own life does not improve?"
The South Korean economy has been a beneficiary of high demand for AI infrastructure, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix being two of the world's leading semiconductor producers based in the country. According to the Korean central bank, the semiconductor industry generated about half of South Korea's economic growth in the third quarter.
The government projects up to 3.6 percent GDP growth this year. However, Lee cautioned that the economic achievements do not mask the widening gap between population segments. To address the growing inequality, he pointed to labor market measures, support for low-income individuals, and the construction of more affordable housing.
Just last week, the president had warned of such developments in South Korea in the wake of recent protests in Europe.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
