The South Korean government plans to upgrade the Korea Advanced Research Network (KOREN) into an AI-powered research network designed for the 6G era. The initiative will expand network capacity to one of the highest levels globally while incorporating technologies such as agentic AI networking, supporting the government's goal of making South Korea one of the world's three leading AI nations.
According to government officials on Tuesday, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Information Society Agency (NIA) have begun drawing up a strategy for the KOREN 6.0 upgrade.
The government plans to complete the upgrade strategy this year, secure funding in next year's budget and begin deployment in 2028. The project is scheduled for completion in 2031 with a planned budget of about KRW 50 billion over four years.
Launched in 1995, KOREN is South Korea's only integrated research network providing broadband, high-quality connectivity for industry, universities and research institutes to test and validate next-generation networking technologies. More recently, it has supported commercialization of AI infrastructure by testing communications equipment for the government's AI highway initiative, validating end-to-end networking technologies for defense and finance, and developing AI agent frameworks based on the Multi-Component Platform (MCP).
The ministry and NIA said KOREN must evolve to support the 6G and AI agent era. Rather than remaining a platform focused on testing gigabit internet and quantum networking technologies, KOREN 6.0 will become an AI-focused research and testing network spanning all network layers. As demand for AI-related infrastructure continues to grow, the platform is intended to provide an environment for developing, validating and commercializing next-generation networking technologies.
The upgraded network will expand testing capabilities beyond the backbone network to include regional networks, access networks, AI data center (AIDC) networks and submarine cable networks. Capacity will increase to as much as 1.6 terabits per second for backbone and data center networks, 400 gigabits per second for regional networks and 100 gigabits per second for access networks to support growing demand for AI services.
KOREN 6.0 will also incorporate agentic AI technologies with the goal of achieving the Level 5 autonomous networking standard proposed by TM Forum, a global telecommunications industry association.
The project will fully separate research and testing networks. The research network will support AI education at universities and startup development, while the testing network will focus on evaluating wired and wireless communications equipment and optical networking components.
KOREN has played a central role in South Korea's ICT industry by testing and validating transmission networks and networking equipment, while helping commercialize domestically developed technologies. The government plans to build on that role by strengthening the competitiveness of South Korea's telecommunications equipment industry as the country prepares for the 6G and AI era.
Na Sung-wook, head of NIA's Intelligent Network Division, said KOREN 6.0 is intended to bridge research and commercialization for 6G- and AI-related networking technologies. He added that the project will evolve into a leading AI networking research and testing platform through innovations including autonomous networking, optical module testing and broader network modernization.
