[Edaily Reporter Kim Hyun-ah ] The name of an unfamiliar U.S. AI startup came up during the final TV debate among candidates for the Democratic Party of Korea’s party leadership. Candidate Kim Min-seok asked Candidate Jeong Cheong-rae, “Do you know which Korean company Reflection AI has partnered with?”

The correct answer is #Shinsegae Co.,Ltd. In effect, a U.S. AI startup—rather than SamsungElectronics or HyundaiMotor—became the subject of a “quiz” during a political debate. What kind of company is Reflection AI, exactly, that it even came up in a question testing the policy capabilities of party leadership candidates?

Former DeepMind Researchers Dreaming of “Superintelligence”

Reflection AI is a U.S. AI startup co-founded by Misha Laskin and Ioannis Antonoglou, former researchers at Google DeepMind.

Although the company is currently developing enterprise-level Agent AI and other tools, its goals extend far beyond simple AI services. Reflection AI describes itself as an “open intelligence” company and is working to develop open models that anyone can use and improve. Ultimately, the company aims to achieve “superintelligence” that surpasses human capabilities.

Simply put, while the company creates AI services that can be used right now, its ultimate goal is to take the lead in next-generation AI technology.

Partnering with Shinsegae Co.,Ltd to Build a 250MW AI Data Center

The decisive turning point that brought the company to prominence in South Korea was its collaboration with the Shinsegae Co.,Ltd Group.

Last March, Shinsegae Co.,Ltd and Reflection AI formed a strategic partnership to build a 250MW AI-dedicated data center. Shinsegae Co.,Ltd described it as the largest AI data center in the country. The two companies are also moving forward with the establishment of a joint venture (JV) to construct and operate the data center.

Some industry observers estimate that the project’s scale could reach approximately 10 trillion won. However, the only key figure officially confirmed at this time is 250MW. Therefore, rather than asserting that a “10 trillion won investment” has been finalized, it is more accurate to describe it as a mega-scale AI infrastructure project.

There is a reason why candidate Kim Min-seok is well-informed about this project. While serving as Prime Minister, Candidate Kim met with Misha Raskin, CEO of Reflection AI, and Shinsegae Co.,Ltd Chairman Chung Yong-jin at the Seoul Government Complex last March to discuss cooperation between the two sides.

The plan is to combine Shinsegae Co.,Ltd’s domestic business and infrastructure capabilities with Reflection AI’s AI technology to expand Korea’s AI infrastructure. Their interests align: Shinsegae Co.,Ltd can secure global AI technology, while Reflection AI can establish a large-scale AI infrastructure and business foundation in Korea.

Trump Jr.’s Investment Firm Also Invests… A Link to ‘MAGA’

The interest surrounding Reflection AI extends beyond just the technology. Its investment network, connected to the U.S. political and technological ecosystems, is also drawing attention.

“MAGA” stands for “Make America Great Again,” President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan. It refers to the America First policy and conservative political movement centered on Trump.

It would not be accurate to call Reflection AI itself a “MAGA company.” However, it is drawing attention because an investment firm linked to the Trump camp has invested in it.

A prime example is the venture capital firm 1789 Capital. With Donald Trump Jr. serving as a partner, 1789 Capital is one of Reflection AI’s investors. Consequently, some observers suggest that Reflection AI is connected to the U.S. conservative tech and investment network.

Although its relationship with Peter Thiel has also been mentioned, it is important to draw a clear line. It is inaccurate to view Reflection AI as “Peter Thiel’s company” or “the Trump family’s company.” More accurately, it is a U.S. AI startup that has received investment from a firm in which Donald Trump Jr. serves as a partner.

Reflection AI’s open-model strategy is also intertwined with the AI competition between the U.S. and China. In fact, Reflection AI positions itself as a U.S. “open frontier” AI company and emphasizes the need to strengthen U.S. AI competitiveness in the face of Chinese AI firms.

An Opportunity

for South Korea… But Caution Is Needed Regarding “Dependence” For South Korea

, this presents

both

an opportunity and a challenge.

It is clearly an opportunity in that South Korea can attract the technology and capital of global AI companies to build large-scale AI data centers and accelerate the AI transformation across industries such as distribution and content.

On the other hand, South Korea must be wary of becoming overly dependent on a specific overseas technology ecosystem—including core AI models, software, cloud services, and computing infrastructure. This is because even when partnering with foreign companies, South Korea can only maintain its technological leadership by simultaneously nurturing its own domestic AI models, infrastructure, and talent ecosystem.

Thus, the crux of the debate surrounding Reflection AI is not whether “it is good or bad for U.S. companies to enter Korea.” Rather, it is a question of how much independent AI capability Korea can secure while actively collaborating with global technology.

This is also why the partnership between Shinsegae Co.,Ltd and Reflection AI is drawing attention. It serves as both an experiment combining cutting-edge U.S. AI technology with South Korea’s infrastructure and industrial needs, and a case study illustrating the position South Korea will occupy within the global AI ecosystem.

Whereas past political debates on industry and the economy often featured companies like SamsungElectronics or HyundaiMotor, now even unfamiliar U.S. AI startups like Reflection AI have become topics in “quizzes testing policy expertise.”

AI has, before we knew it, become a subject of study for politicians.

Although candidate Kim Min-seok’s question was, “Which company has Reflection AI partnered with?”, the broader issue raised by this question goes far beyond that.

Partnering with global AI companies to secure technology and capital, while simultaneously preserving our own AI competitiveness in the process—the challenges facing Korea’s AI industry lie precisely between these two priorities.