Flashpoints | Security | East Asia

How a Diplomatic Row Ended a Korean Startup’s AI War Test in Ukraine

Seoul is trying to maintain its support for Ukraine while dealing with a diplomatic dispute with Kyiv. But Newtype Industries, a defense startup in Seoul, says the same dispute has cost the company all of its Ukrainian partners.

In mid-October, Sengwon (Joe) Cho was told that his company’s work in Ukraine had to stop. Cho is CEO of Newtype Industries, a Seoul-based defense startup that had been testing its AI-enabled artillery software, Barbara, with Ukrainian military units. In an interview, he said a Ukrainian representative overseeing the cooperation told him that an order had come from above to stop all work in this area.

While it is unclear who issued the order or why, Cho is certain that the ongoing rift between South Korea and Ukraine is to blame. “The main reason for ending the cooperation was the diplomatic conflict between South Korea and Ukraine,” he said, referring to the row over Kyiv’s disclosure that it had sent two North Korean POWs to Seoul.

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