President Lee Jae-myung said on the 4th in a policy speech on next year's budget bill at the National Assembly that "next year's defense budget has been set at about 66.3 trillion won, an 8.2% increase from this year."

President Lee Jae-myung greets before delivering the government's policy address on the 2026 budget proposal and fund management plan at the National Assembly's plenary session in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 4th. /Courtesy of News1

Lee said, "We will reorganize conventional weapons systems into state-of-the-art weapons systems suited for the age of artificial intelligence, swiftly turn our military into a top-tier smart strong force to dramatically strengthen defense capabilities, and firmly realize our long-cherished wish of self-reliant defense."

He added, "Isn't it a matter of our people's pride that the Republic of Korea, which spends a defense budget amounting to 1.4 times North Korea's annual GDP and is rated as having the world's fifth-strongest military, relies on the outside for defense?"

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