President Lee Jae Myung delivers a finances speech earlier than the Nationwide Meeting on Nov. 4, 2025. (pool photograph)
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung issued a name Tuesday for cooperation throughout get together traces to go a 2026 finances by the legally established deadline, calling it the “first finances plan ushering within the AI period.”
In a presidential tackle on the 2026 finances plan delivered on the Nationwide Meeting that day, Lee requested for the plan’s passage inside the deadline.
“Simply as President Park Chung-hee set down the industrialization freeway and President Kim Dae-jung created the freeway for informatization, we now must construct a freeway for the AI period,” he careworn.
Lee additionally stated that the yr 2026 would mark a “historic start line for ushering within the AI period and making ready for the following 100 years of the Republic of Korea.”
Emphasizing the urgency of the problem, he stated, “Within the synthetic intelligence period, a day of delay means being left a era behind.”
At 728 trillion received, the 2026 finances plan submitted to the Nationwide Meeting by the administration was the biggest ever.
Lee defined that the administration had “boldly developed a completely important finances whereas drastically slicing finances gadgets that have been inessential or not pressing.” Among the many core finances content material that he described was 10.1 trillion received in reference to AI, 35.3 trillion received in R&D funding for high-tech industries, and 66.3 trillion received for nationwide protection.
At greater than 10 trillion received, the AI finances offered to the Nationwide Meeting was over thrice bigger than the 2025 finances of three.3 trillion received. Explaining the rise, Lee stated the administration’s goal was “targeted funding to make ours a number one nation in bodily AI” — referring to AI mixed with expertise comparable to robots, drones and self-driving automobiles.
The traditionally excessive R&D funding finances additionally marked a 19.3% improve from its 2025 degree.
Lee defined that the 8.2% improve within the nationwide protection finances from this yr’s degree of 59.4 trillion received was meant to “obtain historic enhancements in our protection capabilities and permit for autonomous protection by quickly reworking our navy into elite good forces.”
He argued that “the Republic of Korea’s reliance on the skin for nationwide protection when it’s rated as boasting the world’s fifth-strongest navy capabilities is a matter of nationwide satisfaction.” His remarks confirmed his dedication to honoring his earlier pledge to get better wartime operational management for South Korea inside his time period.
The plan additionally included elevated spending to guard the socially deprived and susceptible.
Lee careworn that it was the “fundamental responsibility of the state to guard the socially deprived and susceptible individuals who bear the shock of fixing occasions the quickest and hardest.” As areas the place the finances can be elevated, he referred to elevated livelihood advantages for low-income segments, efforts to ascertain a stronger base for self-sufficiency amongst disabled individuals, and prevention and speedy response for disasters.
The opposition Individuals Energy Social gathering boycotted the speech on Tuesday totally, protesting the arrest warrant request for former ground chief Choo Kyung-ho by a particular counsel investigating the December 2024 revolt try.
After making the choice to boycott at a normal lawmakers’ assembly that morning, get together members gathered on the staircase of the Nationwide Meeting’s central corridor to stage a protest. Lee nodded briefly earlier than the lawmakers earlier than heading to the places of work of the Nationwide Meeting speaker, the place he was scheduled to have a preliminary dialog.
PPP chief Jang Dong-hyuk additionally boycotted conferences of the ruling and get together management and the heads of the “5 main branches” — the Nationwide Meeting speaker, Supreme Court docket chief justice, Constitutional Court docket chief justice, prime minister, and Nationwide Election Fee chairperson — which passed off within the speaker’s places of work.
In response, Lee issued a name for cooperation throughout get together traces.
“Whereas there could also be variations in views between the ruling and opposition events, I consider they’re no totally different of their sincerity about serving the individuals and nation,” he stated.
By Goh Gyoung-ju, workers reporter
Please direct questions or feedback to [english@hani.co.kr]
