Although blockchain technology and artificial intelligence are cited as key to the advancement in the "Fourth Industrial Revolution"... industries are having a hard time applying them in real-life.
To help cultivate leading minds in the field, research centers have popped up in recent years to help bridge the gap.
Kim Ji-yeon reports.

Some of the brightest minds in blockchain technology, a vital pillar in the so-called "Fourth Industrial Revolution" are gathered at this local research institute in Korea.
They are working on finding ways to apply the technology in real-life,... including methods to improve the distribution system of agricultural and livestock products.

"Our aim is to foster high-quality human resources that could be readily used in the industrial sector through the application of blockchain technology."

Through research centers like this, the government plans to train thousands of experts in sectors that can eventually apply blockchain technology on a mass scale.

"We hope to meet the demands of industries by training ten-thousand blockchain experts by 2022 to help the application and development of the technology."

Similarly, the government plans to train five-thousand experts in all things artificial intelligence.

"Compared to China and the U.S.,... South Korea is lagging behind in terms of the advancement of AI technology. We have to develop programs to nurture high-quality experts."

According to the Seoul-based KT Economic Management Research Institute, Korea's AI-related market is projected to become a ten-billion U.S. dollar market by 2020... nearly doubling in size compared to last year.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.