Naver Cloud CEO Calls for Controlled Military AI

Naver Cloud CEO Kim Yu-won said civil-military cooperation is vital to operate defense AI safely and adopt civilian technology quickly. He spoke on the 3rd in a keynote at the International Army Modeling and Simulation Conference and Exhibition (IAMSEC 2026) at the Daejeon Convention Center. “A strong military of the future will be one that controls AI and develops itself,” Kim said.

Kim said the scale of AI a military needs grows exponentially with factors beyond troop numbers, including the scope of information gathering, analysis cycles, and the scale of simulations and missions. He proposed linking a “central AI factory” for large-scale models and simulations, “mission AI” to combine information and support operations, and “field AI” that can carry out missions even when communications are down.

To ensure AI decisions are reliable, Kim said their sources and grounds should be cross-checked and important actions should require human approval. He also called for a “Sovereign AI” environment in which the military directly controls data, models and infrastructure.

Kim said the military’s acquisition system should shift toward rapid trials and iterative development to respond to a fast-changing battlefield, while infrastructure should move to a subscription model that provides up-to-date resources as needed. He added that the military should retain control while quickly adopting validated civilian technology. Military leaders should establish rules and controls, field units should provide opportunities for trials, and companies should supply technology and infrastructure, he said. Naver Cloud said it would support the military’s scientific and intelligent development.

Naver Cloud also ran an exhibition booth at the event, held on the 3rd and 4th, showcasing defense-specific AI models, an AI platform and cloud services. The keynote took place on the 3rd, the day before the exhibition’s second day. Kim proposed a military AI system and ways to bring in civilian technology; the report did not state whether the proposed system would be adopted or give a schedule. This describes the scope of the report and does not indicate a separate implementation decision or plan.

Naver Cloud CEO Kim Yu-won said civil-military cooperation is vital to operate defense AI safely and adopt civilian technology quickly. He spoke on the 3rd in a keynote at the International Army Modeling and Simulation Conference and Exhibition (IAMSEC 2026) at the Daejeon Convention Center. “A strong military of the future will be one that controls AI and develops itself,” Kim said.

Kim said the scale of AI a military needs grows exponentially with factors beyond troop numbers, including the scope of information gathering, analysis cycles, and the scale of simulations and missions. He proposed linking a “central AI factory” for large-scale models and simulations, “mission AI” to combine information and support operations, and “field AI” that can carry out missions even when communications are down.

To ensure AI decisions are reliable, Kim said their sources and grounds should be cross-checked and important actions should require human approval. He also called for a “Sovereign AI” environment in which the military directly controls data, models and infrastructure.

Kim said the military’s acquisition system should shift toward rapid trials and iterative development to respond to a fast-changing battlefield, while infrastructure should move to a subscription model that provides up-to-date resources as needed. He added that the military should retain control while quickly adopting validated civilian technology. Military leaders should establish rules and controls, field units should provide opportunities for trials, and companies should supply technology and infrastructure, he said. Naver Cloud said it would support the military’s scientific and intelligent development.

Naver Cloud also ran an exhibition booth at the event, held on the 3rd and 4th, showcasing defense-specific AI models, an AI platform and cloud services. The keynote took place on the 3rd, the day before the exhibition’s second day. Kim proposed a military AI system and ways to bring in civilian technology; the report did not state whether the proposed system would be adopted or give a schedule. This describes the scope of the report and does not indicate a separate implementation decision or plan.