Automation Tax: South Korea Demands Big Tech Share AI Superprofits

The macroeconomic consequences of the AI boom are threatening the social contract. On June 5, 2026, South Korea’s Ministry of Labor issued an unprecedented call: tech giants must distribute "excess profits" generated by artificial intelligence among their employees and suppliers.

This move is a reaction to severe market stratification. While the market capitalization of hardware manufacturers (like SK hynix) breaches trillion-dollar marks amid corporate automation, line staff and contractors face income freezes and the risk of layoffs. Seoul essentially articulated the concept of a "robot tax" in a soft format. Authorities understand: if corporations continue to absorb 100% of the added value from deploying autonomous AI agents, the state will face a collapse in consumer demand and social unrest. This is the regulator's first large-scale attempt to introduce proto-UBI (Universal Basic Income) elements at the expense of IT monopolies.

Source: Ministry of Labour / Reuters / Japan Times