The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 8th that the government budget for research and development in 2026 has been finalized at 151.5 billion won. This represents an increase of 45.4 billion won compared to 2025, marking the largest scale in history.
At the end of August, President Lee Jae-myung met with Maggie Kang, director of "K-Pop Demon Hunters," and noted that "the government will create a strong foundation for the cultural industry." The recent expansion of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's research and development investments demonstrates the policy commitment to building that "strong foundation."
To respond to the recently emerging generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology, there was an urgent need to expand research and development investments in cultural technology sectors such as culture, sports, and tourism. However, investments in the cultural technology sector have stagnated due to chronic funding shortages in cultural technology corporations and cuts in government research and development budgets.
In response, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will structure the 2026 research and development budget around the "K-Culture AI Oxygen Supply Project" to enhance the ripple effects of K-Culture's upstream and downstream industries and maximize the utilization of artificial intelligence for a "third leap in artificial intelligence."
Through this, artificial intelligence technology will be introduced into every process from planning to production and export in the content industry, promoting the artificial intelligence transformation (AX) of the industry, and developing artificial intelligence technology reflecting Korean culture to strengthen domestic artificial intelligence. It is also expected that the application of artificial intelligence technology in public cultural facilities will enhance citizens' accessibility to and perception of artificial intelligence, while initiatives to cultivate convergence-type artificial intelligence talent will contribute to achieving the goal of becoming one of the 'top five cultural powerhouses in global soft power.'