South Korea approves first implementation plan for 2026 National Strategy for Key Technologies
South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT approved the first implementation plan for the 2026 National Strategy for Key Technologies, at the 13th National Strategic Technology Special Committee meeting held on the 13th. The plan raises the national R&D budget for strategic technologies to 8.6 trillion won this year, a 30% increase from last year, and allocates 46.6 trillion won in policy financing to back the initiatives.
The plan sets three core aims: seamless growth support to sustain advancement, comprehensive technology security to shield key assets, and a mission-focused policy framework that coordinates programs toward concrete objectives.
Officials said the plan will foster an innovation ecosystem that links research and development with real-world deployment, providing end-to-end support for companies and building regional R&D and demonstration infrastructure to accelerate technology adoption.
Beyond the 2026 plan, the government intends to broaden investment next year and expand benefits for companies leading in strategic technologies, including R&D incentive points and both financial and non-financial support to recognized strategic-tech firms.
The initiative aims to accelerate results through regional technology innovation hubs, such as those in Jeju and Jeollabuk-do, and through specialized research centers, while advancing data-driven science and technology talent policies to strengthen the workforce.
To strengthen the national tech system, the plan calls for restructuring the technology framework in the first half of the year and reviewing the National R&D Innovation Act to adjust protection regimes for strategic technologies, with a renewed emphasis on defense-related technology investments.
It also introduces the NEXT flagship project for leading strategic technologies and will maintain a policy collaboration platform to coordinate cross-agency efforts toward mission completion. The committee also reviewed the first-stage results of the innovative small modular reactor, or i-SMR, technology development project.
Park In-kyu, head of the MSIT’s Science and Technology Innovation Headquarters, said geopolitical tensions have elevated strategic technology into a cornerstone of both economy and security. He stressed that the government will push cross-ministry collaboration to strengthen support for developing and securing strategic technologies and to accelerate tangible outcomes, aiming to build an innovation ecosystem capable of overcoming global tech leadership competition.
For international readers, this plan signals Korea’s intensified role in global tech competition and supply chains. Korea is a major supplier of advanced components and is expanding into energy and defense technologies; a large-scale government push for strategic technologies could affect global investment patterns, technology transfer, and collaboration opportunities with American firms and policymakers. The emphasis on regional hubs, defense-oriented tech, and large-scale policy financing may influence how multinational partners engage with Korea on next-generation technologies.