Koo Yun-cheol, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, on the 23rd emphasized that strengthening the competitiveness of the materials, parts, and equipment (so-bu-jang) industry is the core of economic security and a prerequisite for national survival.
Deputy Prime Minister Koo chaired the 14th Committee for Strengthening Competitiveness in Materials, Parts, and Equipment held at Government Complex Seoul on the afternoon of the same day, saying, "As global competition for technological hegemony intensifies, the reorganization of supply chains surrounding so-bu-jang, essential to advanced industries, is entering full swing," and stated accordingly.
Koo said, "If we fail to secure core materials, precision parts, and advanced equipment, we will inevitably fall behind in the future industrial competition in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and secondary batteries," adding, "To secure competitiveness in the so-bu-jang industry, we will focus on strengthening the three key capabilities of innovation capacity, market capacity, and ecosystem capacity."
The government will first concentrate investment in advanced, high value-added, carbon-neutral, and critical mineral sectors to secure gap-widening technologies and foster global leading corporations. It also plans to promote 15 "super Eul (乙) projects" by 2030 and nurture world-class so-bu-jang corporations such as a "Korean-style ASML."
In addition, to expand entry into global markets and create new domestic demand markets, it will pursue tailored export strategies linked to major countries' industrial projects and expand so-bu-jang investment in areas such as AI and defense. To build an ecosystem where demand corporations and supply corporations grow together, it will promote a three-pronged cooperation system in technology, production, and procurement, and designate 10 additional new so-bu-jang specialized complexes by 2030.
Deputy Prime Minister Koo also noted, "We will strengthen the linkage between the so-bu-jang special accounts and the Supply Chain Stabilization Fund, and support the fund so that technology development projects backed by the special accounts can take root in the market at the commercialization stage."
Through the so-bu-jang special accounts, the government decided to include in the Supply Chain Stabilization Fund's support scope any fiscal projects with high supply chain stabilization effects, even if they are not economic security items. It also plans to provide ultra-low-interest preferential financing for so-bu-jang items among economic security items.
Koo added, "We will support the so-bu-jang cooperation model as a package with research and development (R&D), policy finance, and regulatory exemptions," and "in advanced industries such as secondary batteries and displays, we will help stabilize supply chains through close cooperation between demand and supply corporations."
Meanwhile, at the committee meeting that day, four agenda items were discussed: ▲ the basic plan to strengthen competitiveness in the so-bu-jang industry (2026–2030) ▲ the comprehensive plan for so-bu-jang specialized complexes ▲ the plan to support so-bu-jang through the Supply Chain Stabilization Fund ▲ approval of the so-bu-jang cooperation model.