Bae Kyung-hoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, said he will realize a basic AI society in 2026 so that all citizens can enjoy the benefits of AI. He presented securing an independent AI model, converting key industries to AI, and promoting the K-moonshot project as core tasks for the new year, and said he will also focus on strengthening digital safety—including codifying CEOs' security responsibility and imposing penalty surcharges on corporations with repeated incidents—and expanding regional autonomous research and development (R&D) and building AI clusters by region.
In a New Year's address on the 1st, Bae said, "Despite the complex internal and external crises over the past year, we did our best to reestablish the foundation for science and technology innovation and to build a strategic base for a leap toward becoming an AI powerhouse," adding, "Through securing a record-high R&D budget, expanding stable basic research, and establishing a researcher-centered R&D promotion system, we worked to restore the research ecosystem and rebuild trust."
He went on, "As a deputy prime ministerial ministry, the Ministry of Science and ICT has been tasked with overseeing science, technology, and AI and rallying national capabilities," emphasizing the launch of the Council of Ministers on Science and Technology and the National AI Strategy Committee, and the swift announcement and execution of challenging and innovative policies. He added, "We solidified the national vision of becoming one of the world's top three AI powers, and secured an extraordinary fiscal base to the extent that President Lee Jae-myung evaluated the budget bill in his policy speech at the National Assembly as one that opens the AI era."
Defining 2026 as "a turning point toward a leap and growth," Bae said, "We will respond to the accelerating global competition for technological supremacy by securing world-class competitiveness in science, technology, and AI. Furthermore, we will marshal all policy capabilities to create changes and results that the public can feel."
First, he put the realization of a basic AI society front and center. Bae said, "AI is the key driver that will determine Korea's future competitiveness," and pledged to secure an independent, world-class AI model within the year and to promote AI conversion across key industries such as manufacturing, shipbuilding, and logistics. At the same time, he said he will raise public convenience through AI livelihood projects and open "an era of innovation in which anyone uses AI as a tool to create new opportunities" through AI education for all citizens and competitions. Along with preempting next-generation AI technologies, he added that the government will closely support securing AI talent and startup growth and expand the global expansion of the "full-stack K-AI" ecosystem that encompasses semiconductors and AI.
In future strategic technology, he said the government will fully push the "K-moonshot project" to take on national grand challenges and secure foundational national strategic technologies. Bae said, "In response to AI-based technology competition trends such as the U.S. 'Genesis Mission,' we will concentrate national capabilities on innovating the science and technology paradigm through AI," adding, "We will also focus on nurturing next-generation technologies such as bio, quantum, and nuclear fusion to secure new growth engines, and strengthen a full-cycle talent development system, including selecting national scientists, discovering gifted science students, and supporting students in science and engineering." He emphasized that to strengthen the stability of basic research, "We will also solidify the roots of innovation by institutionalizing the government's efforts to invest in basic research."
He signaled tough measures in digital safety. Bae said, "Information security is a prerequisite that determines survival in the AI era," and to end the widespread security complacency among corporations, he will codify CEOs' security responsibility in law and impose penalty surcharges on corporations with repeated security incidents. He added that the government will also advance its security capabilities and push a "full-scale war against hacking."
Balanced regional growth was also presented as a major pillar. Bae said the government will significantly expand the regional autonomous R&D budget so regions can establish science and technology-based growth engines and will build AI hub clusters by metropolitan area in connection with regional specialized industries. The plan is to drive AI-based regional innovation through large-scale R&D and demonstrations.
Bae said, "In 2026, science, technology, and AI will change the nation's fate and make people's lives richer and safer, making it a year of a great leap," adding, "The Ministry of Science and ICT will stand at the forefront of that change and run quietly yet fiercely so we can present clear hope to the public."