South Korea is reviving its expert research personnel program for artificial intelligence after a 14-year hiatus, allowing eligible science and engineering master’s and doctoral graduates to fulfill three years of military service through research at corporate-affiliated institutes. The Ministry of Science and ICT recommended nine institutes at Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Samsung Medison and HD Hyundai Robotics for the 2027 program, with the institutes requesting 81 slots. The Military Manpower Administration said in June that 120 of 240 master’s-level AI slots would be allocated to large-company research institutes in 2027, although first-year applications reached only about two-thirds of the government quota. Companies must meet requirements covering R&D spending, advanced AI or AI transformation research and objectively verifiable global achievements, and some applicants were excluded at the ministry recommendation stage. The temporary allocation will run from 2027 through 2029, subject to final confirmation. The policy reflects the capital and computing demands of advanced AI research but has also prompted calls to protect startups and smaller companies from talent shortages. Competition is spreading beyond military-service placements: LG’s Aimers hackathon drew 3,393 participants, while AI companies are also placing greater emphasis on humanities-based judgment and independent thinking.