The government said on the 3rd it is reviewing a plan to designate small modular reactors (SMRs) as a national strategic technology. After major conglomerates including Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, LG, Hanwha, and Doosan said at the "Yeongnam advanced industry development vision national briefing" that they would invest a total of 312 trillion won in next-generation semiconductors, physical AI, AI data centers, and SMR projects in the Yeongnam region on the same day, the government laid out tax support measures.
Once designated a national strategic technology, the research and development (R&D) tax credit rate rises to 40%–50% for small and midsize enterprises and 30%–40% for large and mid-tier companies. For general technologies, the rates are 25% for small and midsize enterprises, 8% for mid-tier companies, and 2% for large companies. Investment in commercialization facilities is also subject to the integrated investment tax credit, significantly raising the deduction rate.
Koo Yun-cheol, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, said at the "Yeongnam advanced industry development vision national briefing" held at Gyeongsang National University in Jinju, South Gyeongsang, on the 3rd, "We are reviewing selecting SMRs as a national strategic technology," adding, "We will actively support this by creating a domestic production promotion tax system."
He added, "We will establish the world's first SMR production base in Changwon," and "We will make the Yeongnam region the starting point of the green energy transition, including gas turbines and wind power."