Opposition Unilaterally Approves R&D Budget Increase of 800 Billion Won in Science and ICT Committee Subcommittee

R&D Budget Increased by 800 Billion Won

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 7th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the 14th, the Democratic Party of Korea unilaterally approved the next year's budget for the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Korea Communications Commission, and others at the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee's Budget Review Subcommittee.

The Democratic Party increased the Ministry of Science and ICT budget proposed by the government by about 2 trillion won and cut about 1.2 trillion won, resulting in a net increase of approximately 800 billion won.

Specifically, about 2 trillion won was increased for support of research institute operating expenses in the science and technology sector, including student labor costs at the four major science and technology institutes such as the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Approximately 1.16 trillion won was cut in areas such as the Global TOP Strategic Research Group Support Project and Advanced Bio Global Competency Enhancement.

The reduced global research and development (R&D) budgets were reorganized by adjusting budget items into R&D group research support and research institute operating expense support budgets.

Democratic Party budget subcommittee members held a press conference, stating, "We reversed the 'Yoon Seok-yeol style' R&D cuts," and explained, "Instead of hesitating to reduce unnecessary expenses and budgets, we restored the cut labor costs for young researchers and did our best to secure budgets for ongoing projects of researchers in the science and technology field."

They added, "We hardly accepted the government's reduction opinions on 'global' budgets that lack specific plans and legal grounds," and "The government was very passive in negotiating increases for essential projects of government-funded research institutes and the four major science and technology institutes."

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