On the 14th, the People Power Party announced its presidential campaign pledge, which includes strengthening budget and legislative support for research and development in the space and science technology sectors and establishing the positions of Minister of Science and Technology and Special Ambassador.
It also expressed its ambition to leap to a global space power through lunar exploration in 2032 and Mars exploration in 2045.
This pledge was announced on the same day Kim Moon-soo, the presidential candidate, visited the Korea Aerospace Agency located in Sacheon, Gyeongnam, to tour the science and technology research and development site and encourage the officials.
The policy coordination headquarters publicly stated, "Now is the age of science; we will place scientific research at the center of state affairs."
It pledged to invest more than 5% of the national budget expenditure in research and development and to enact the "Basic Science and Technology Act" to guarantee the status, treatment, and rights of science and technology professionals.
It proposed to establish a Deputy Prime Minister for Artificial Intelligence (AI), Science and Technology, and Information and Communication to provide the budget and organization that will support research and development, and also to create a scientific special ambassador to cooperate with the scientific community of major countries.
The party also pledged to expand the national strategic technology research and development budget to 10 trillion won within five years and to reliably support basic research.
It suggested that by abolishing preliminary feasibility studies for research and development, the starting period for research could be shortened by up to three years compared to the current timeline, while also lowering the barriers between ministries and research institutes.
By strengthening regional dedicated agencies, it aimed to revitalize regional research and development and promote product commercialization through enhanced cooperation with corporations.
To foster science and engineering talent, it plans to double the budget for graduate student research living allowances to a maximum of 120 billion won and to provide scholarships to 10,000 excellent master's and doctoral students, which is ten times the current amount.
Additionally, it announced plans to expand support for postdoctoral researchers and domestic and international training opportunities while attracting overseas research institutions and personnel in advanced technology sectors, as well as increasing the salary standards for research and development positions in the country.
It pledged to improve the compensation system for job inventions through tax benefits and strengthen incentives for exceptional researchers. The plan also includes revitalizing the national special research fellow system and supporting female and senior researchers.
It also outlined plans to conduct three additional launches of space launch vehicles by 2027, develop launch vehicle engines by 2027, and implement lunar landing roadmaps for 2032 to achieve Mars exploration by 2045, aiming to leap to a global space power.
It announced its intention to expand and establish a "space fund" targeting 100 billion won, select specialized districts in Gyeongnam (manufacturing capacity), Daejeon (research and talent development), and Jeonnam (launch vehicles), and push for building Sacheon and Jinju in Gyeongnam into a complex aerospace city.
The policy headquarters stated, "The People Power Party will support researchers in the space and science technology fields so that their contributions can conveniently change the lives of the people and enable us to leap to become one of the world's top five science and technology powerhouses."