The Ministry of Science and ICT said on the 11th that it held the "2026 2nd National R&D Project Evaluation General Committee" presided over by Science and Technology Innovation Center head Park In-gyu, and finalized the results of the 2025 first preliminary feasibility study for national R&D projects and the review of the appropriateness of project plans for projects exempt from preliminary feasibility studies.
At the committee meeting that day, a decision was made to implement the preliminary feasibility study results for the "K-circular economy Reborn project." Accordingly, the project will be carried out from 2027 to 2033 over seven years with a total budget of 254 billion won. Of that, 177.8 billion won will come from the national treasury.
The core of the project is to support intelligent sorting and dismantling/separation, and the development of technologies to produce high-quality circular raw materials for household waste synthetic resins, end-of-life vehicles, discarded wind power components, and small and mid-sized waste electrical and electronic products. It largely aims to increase the utilization of recyclable resources and lay the groundwork to respond to international regulations related to the circular economy.
The committee also approved the results of the review of the appropriateness of the project plan for the "replacement construction of the marine research vessel (Onnuri)", which was exempted from the preliminary feasibility study after a Cabinet meeting in Aug. last year.
The project will invest a total of 191.67 billion won over five years from 2026 to 2030. The entire funding will come from the national treasury. During the review, additional expenses necessary for ship construction and operation, such as overseas open-sea test and evaluation expenses, were reflected.
Onnuri is Korea's first comprehensive marine research vessel, commissioned in 1992, and has been used for marine exploration and surveys. However, as the vessel aged, it faced limits in meeting strengthened environmental regulations and safety standards, and due to frequent breakdowns, it has not been deployed for oceanic research since 2022.
The replacement construction project is focused on addressing these limits and securing a next-generation marine research vessel. The new research vessel will adopt a diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system. This is a measure that takes into account International Maritime Organization (IMO) environmental regulations and domestic standards related to eco-friendly ships. The government expects this to improve operational stability and durability, and to expand the research vessel's operating range. It also plans to equip the vessel with marine exploration equipment such as high-resolution acoustic detectors, underwater drones, and artificial intelligence (AI)-based sensors to strengthen survey and research capabilities.
At the meeting, Science and Technology Innovation Center head Park In-gyu said, "We ask the relevant ministries to proceed without a hitch on the approved projects," adding, "We will also wrap up the remaining preliminary feasibility study procedures and work to ensure that related follow-up systems take root in the field."