Government and Ruling Party Review Budget for AI and R&D

The government and ruling party reviewed the budget proposal for next year, which includes funding for artificial intelligence (AI) and key research and development (R&D) projects, during a meeting on November 6.

Members of the Democratic Party, part of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee, discussed the budget and key legislation slated for consideration by the end of the year during the meeting with the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Han Jun-ho, the ruling party's secretary for the committee, spoke to reporters after the meeting, stating, "Today, we discussed the Ministry of Science and ICT's budget for 2027. The budget has been allocated at 29.6476 trillion won, an increase of 5.8272 trillion won compared to last year's supplementary budget."

He added, "Of this amount, 9.4 trillion won is earmarked for AI, and 14.1 trillion won is designated for R&D. The government and ruling party agreed to proceed with the three major mega projects without delay and discussed enhancing the treatment of government-funded research institutions, basic research in cybersecurity, regional research, and support for young researchers."

Han also noted that the subcommittees are coordinating schedules for the review of 11 key bills identified by the committee for processing by the end of the year.

He highlighted several major bills, including the Physical AI Special Act, the AI Bio Research and Development Promotion Act, amendments to the National Research and Development Innovation Act to introduce investment-type R&D, amendments to the Basic Research Promotion Act, the Digital Disaster Safety Management Act, and amendments to the Information and Communication Network Act related to IoT security. He emphasized that many concerns regarding security were raised during the recent government audit, underscoring the need for these measures.

Additionally, Han stated, "The government and ruling party have agreed to support investments in AI and science and technology through budget and legislation to enhance capabilities on the ground and ensure public safety."

* This article has been translated by AI.