Park In-kyu, the Ministry of Science and ICT’s head of science, expertise and innovation, speaks throughout a gathering of the Special Committee on the National Strategic Technology in central Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Science and ICT
The authorities will invest about 8.6 trillion received ($5.77 billion) this yr to speed up improvement throughout numerous fields, together with semiconductors, synthetic intelligence (AI), shipbuilding, vitality and batteries, because it strikes to strengthen Korea’s technological sovereignty and reply to intensifying international competitors.
The Ministry of Science and ICT introduced Friday that the joint public-private Special Committee on the National Strategic Technology authorised the 2026 implementation plan, mobilizing 23 ministries to coordinate analysis funding, coverage instruments and monetary help.
The plan is a part of the federal government’s five-year nationwide technique for strategic technologies from 2024 by 2028, geared toward securing crucial capabilities which can be thought-about important to nationwide safety and industrial progress.
As a part of the plan, the federal government has ramped up nationwide strategic expertise analysis and improvement (R&D) spending by 30 % from final yr to 8.6 trillion received in 2026. The fund will help coordinated authorities applications protecting 513 designated technologies, which the federal government has grouped into 19 fields.
The precedence areas embrace semiconductors, AI and software program, telecommunications, cybersecurity, biotech, robotics, aerospace, shipbuilding, batteries, nuclear, clear vitality, protection and content-related technologies.
The fund will assist promote researchers to launch startups and win public contracts so strategic expertise R&D outcomes can attain the market sooner. It will develop help for high-potential startups in these fields by funding in-house R&D, abroad growth and tailor-made help resembling consulting and investor outreach.
The plan may also sharpen data-driven science and expertise consultants and roll out AI-related coaching applications, in addition to applications that can assist abroad researchers settle in Korea.
“Amid rising geopolitical tensions, strategic technologies have become core assets that determine a nation’s economy and security,” mentioned Park In-kyu, the science ministry’s head of science, expertise and innovation.
“The government will step up support for nurturing and securing national strategic technologies by breaking down barriers between ministries, and build an innovative ecosystem for strategic technologies that can deliver results quickly and help our country navigate the global race for technological supremacy.”
A National Forensic Service official demonstrates a synthetic intelligence-powered deepfake detecting program at Government Complex Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
The second pillar of the brand new plan focuses on enhancing expertise safety in response to quickly altering geopolitical and industrial dynamics. It plans to overhaul the present strategic expertise framework in the primary half of 2026, aligning it with new AI-driven commerce and safety priorities.
The revision may also streamline authorities R&D procedures by eliminating preliminary feasibility critiques for some applications and introducing a lighter up-front assessment for sure tasks to allow sooner, extra environment friendly launches and funding.
The authorities additionally goals to strengthen expertise safety by deepening worldwide cooperation whereas safeguarding crucial capabilities, stepping up its participation in multilateral boards on strategic technologies resembling AI, semiconductors and quantum computing to assist form international requirements and norms.
At the identical time, it plans to develop worldwide joint analysis by international analysis hubs, together with the Global AI Frontier Lab, and strengthen partnerships with key nations.
The plan’s third pillar introduces mission-oriented applications — NEXT tasks — that hyperlink collectively expertise improvement, coverage instruments and funding to deal with nationwide missions. These initiatives might be backed by a more in-depth public-private partnership framework and reforms to the analysis administration system, which is able to permit scientists to focus extra on delivering tangible outcomes.