South Korea Unveils 2026 Plan to Strengthen National Strategic Technologies
South Korea’s government unveiled an implementation plan for 2026 to advance its national strategy technologies, tying together expanded R&D investment, policy financing, technology security, and human resources development to compete in global tech leadership.
The plan was approved on the 13th meeting of the National Strategy Technology Special Committee and is part of the first basic plan, covering 2024–2028, to nurture national strategic technologies. This year’s focus is to lay the groundwork for a shift to a new framework for strategy technologies.
Officials described a three-pronged approach: ensure that R&D成果 can move from the lab to commercialization and market entry; broaden technology security measures; and align policy, investment, and technology around national missions. The plan also calls for expanding cross-minister collaboration, using 4 laws and 513 technologies to identify 19 common technology areas as a starting point, with plans to widen the scope over time.
For technology developers, the government intends to strengthen full-cycle support—from startup creation to overseas expansion and patent protection. It also aims to expand regional research and demonstration infrastructure and to continue cultivating and attracting talent in strategic technologies, including AI-related fields.
Governance will be reworked across ministries, with a framework to derive 19 common technology areas from the 513 technologies under four laws to guide initial collaboration, with the possibility of broader application in the future.
The 2026 plan sets the national R&D investment at 8.6 trillion won, a 30% year-over-year increase, and policy financing at 46.6 trillion won. Earlier this year, the government launched the first Science and Technology Innovation Fund, worth 763.2 billion won, targeting five national strategic technology sectors such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence.
The strategy also emphasizes closer alignment of research with procurement and early market entry, including enhanced support for promising technology startups in terms of R&D privileges, overseas expansion, and tailored assistance for “leading” strategic technology firms. It envisions new mechanisms to boost private-sector R&D and global partnerships.
Regional hubs will play a role in translating research into real-world impact, with projects like Jeju’s green hydrogen initiative and a Jeonbuk (Jeollabuk-do) focus on secondary batteries studied as part of regional technology innovation hubs and specialized institutes. Talent policy will lean on data-driven planning and cultivate interdisciplinary talent that blends strategic tech with AI, while also improving support for foreign researchers.
In technology security, officials said the system for safeguarding national strategic tech will be reorganized, incorporating AI, trade and security considerations, and future innovation foundations. The plan also calls for speeding program execution by introducing a pre-check mechanism following the abolition of the previous ex-ante feasibility study.
Korea will seek a stronger global footprint by actively engaging in multilateral forums on AI, semiconductors, and quantum technologies, pursuing international joint research and overseas collaboration to deepen partnerships with major nations. A new “National Strategic Technology Leadership NEXT Project” will tie together technology, policy, and investment through a public–private platform, while a new approach will move away from the project-based system toward results-driven research.
During the same session, officials reviewed the first phase results of the flagship i-SMR small modular reactor project (2023–2025). The assessment noted progress overall but urged improvements in project management to ensure subsequent tasks proceed smoothly.
Officials including Park In-kyu, head of the Ministry’s Science and Technology Innovation Office, said the government will break down bureaucratic barriers to strengthen support for national strategic technologies and to accelerate tangible outcomes that help Korea compete in the global tech arena. This emphasis on rapid, coordinated action reflects shared concerns in the United States about ensuring resilient supply chains, maintaining technological leadership, and shaping international standards in AI, semiconductors, and emerging tech.