President Lee Jae-myung instructed the Public Procurement Service on the 8th to prepare measures to significantly increase the budget for purchasing goods and services from innovative corporations such as artificial intelligence (AI). During the State Council meeting that day, President Lee noted after receiving a report from Vice Administrator Baek Seung-bo that "the government should boldly support corporations striving to pioneer the market with new technologies and systems."
According to Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jeong of the Presidential Office, Vice Administrator Baek said during a closed meeting that "I take very seriously the fact that the Public Procurement Service is the first among the external agencies to present a work report" and stated, "I will review the procurement system from the ground up to support the achievement of national objectives."
In response, President Lee stated, "We must review various positions to find the optimal path," but noted, "It is more important to strengthen internal competition in the procurement administration system and to enhance transparency and fairness." He also mentioned, "Public officials may feel burdened by audits and investigations when attempting new initiatives," adding, "If we try to judge this from a retrospective perspective, we cannot accomplish anything. It is important to create an environment where we can work boldly."
The fact that the Public Procurement Service presented its first report during the State Council meeting stemmed from a direct instruction from President Lee. On the 5th, during the State Council meeting, President Lee mentioned that there were items with lower unit costs during his tenure as Governor of Gyeonggi Province, stating, "It would be good to receive a report on whether there is a more reasonable method in terms of what the Public Procurement Service purchases."
The work report from the Public Procurement Service and President Lee's instructions regarding "enhancing purchase efficiency" and "expanding procurement of innovative corporations" lasted for about an hour. Spokesperson Kang noted, "Although the Public Procurement Service came with an overall work report and several improvement proposals, the President emphasized the need to consider whether changing one thing will not lead to other side effects," adding, "Discussions on various proposals and the examination of side effects extended for more than an hour."