"Core Technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution Applied to Defense Sector" Government Invests 177.2 Billion Won

[Asia Economy Reporter Joselgina] The government plans to invest 177.2 billion KRW this year in core technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution such as robots, drones, and augmented reality (AR), applying the development results to the defense sector. This is a 15% increase compared to the previous year.

The Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and other related ministries announced on the 4th that they have finalized the '2020 Implementation Plan for the Civil-Military Technology Cooperation Project' through a written review at the Civil-Military Technology Council. The Civil-Military Technology Cooperation Project, which started in 1999, is a representative cross-ministerial cooperation project that contributes not only to improving the performance of weapon systems in the defense sector but also to driving future growth industries in the civilian sector.

This year, the government will invest 177.2 billion KRW, a 15% increase from the previous year, in 195 projects across 10 ministries. This includes 44 new projects, with the budget allocation by ministry as follows: 863 billion KRW for DAPA, 39.1 billion KRW for the Ministry of Science and ICT, 36.5 billion KRW for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, 4.9 billion KRW for the Ministry of National Defense, 3.6 billion KRW for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, 2.0 billion KRW for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 1.9 billion KRW for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, 1.3 billion KRW for the Korea Meteorological Administration, 0.8 billion KRW for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and 0.3 billion KRW for the Korea Coast Guard.

A government official explained, "We plan to intensively invest in the development of core technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution and apply the results to the defense sector to support the realization of advanced defense and secure competitiveness in new industries."

By project, 159.3 billion KRW will be invested in the Civil-Military Dual-Use Technology Development Project (Spin-up), and 11 billion KRW in the Civil Technology Transfer Project (Spin-on & Spin-off). In particular, joint research and development across ministries (multi-ministry linkage) will be promoted for core technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution, and a track record will be established through utilization in the defense sector (Spin-on). One representative multi-ministry linked core technology cooperation project is the ‘Development of Complex Signal-Based Human-Machine High-Speed Synchronization Control Technology’ for wearable robot development.

Additionally, the government plans to jointly promote with the military technology development projects that demonstrate already developed civilian technologies such as reconnaissance drones and information-gathering gliders to facilitate their actual use in the defense sector. Furthermore, institutional foundations such as legal and regulatory revisions will be established to promote the utilization of civil-military technology development outcomes. When developing items related to weapon systems, a new basis (Defense Power Development Work Directive) will be established to allow the military to directly conduct testing and evaluation, enhancing the reliability of evaluation results and usability in the defense sector, while the Defense Acquisition Program Act Enforcement Rules will be prepared to shorten acquisition periods.

Moreover, support for demand companies will be clarified, and to strengthen the basis for direct contracts of civil-military technology cooperation project outcomes, they will be reflected as targets for direct contracts in the Enforcement Decree of the National Contract Act.

So far, the total funds invested in the Civil-Military Technology Cooperation Project amount to 1.3441 trillion KRW, with a cumulative practical application rate of 69% for technology development over the past five years. For non-weapon system projects, functionally enhanced winter shipboard uniforms and shipboard shoes have been developed and mass-produced, and are scheduled to be supplied to the Navy this year.

Kwon Hyun-jun, Director of the Large Public Research Policy Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, “Civil-military technology cooperation has greatly contributed to the development of national science and technology and national security capabilities,” adding “Defense is expected to play an important role as a testbed for cutting-edge technology, facilitating the dissemination and demonstration of existing research outcomes.”

Kim Sang-mo, Director of the Defense Technology Protection Bureau at DAPA, stated, “As the demand for innovative civilian technologies in the defense sector is rapidly increasing, through the promotion of the Civil-Military Technology Cooperation Project, we will provide civilian companies with a defense testbed and enable excellent civilian technologies to be applied to weapon systems in defense, thereby creating a virtuous cycle structure where both civilian and military sectors can coexist and prosper.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.