Interior Ministry Sets 2026 Budget at 76.44 Trillion Won... Aims to Establish 'AI Government'

Project Expenses Up 43.8% from Last Year
New Budget Allocated for Pan-Government AI Implementation
AI to Be Used in Disaster Prediction and Monitoring

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has set its budget proposal for next year at 76.4426 trillion won, an increase of approximately 4 trillion won compared to this year. The ministry plans to focus investments in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector with the goal of establishing the “world’s leading AI-powered democratic government.”

On September 2, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that it has allocated a total budget of 76.4426 trillion won for 2026, including 69.3459 trillion won in local allocation tax, 430.2 billion won for personnel and basic expenses, and 6.6665 trillion won for project expenses. In particular, project expenses increased by 2.0303 trillion won (43.8%) compared to this year’s main budget.

This budget proposal is the first under the Lee Jaemyung administration and focuses on fulfilling the new government’s core tasks: establishing the world’s leading AI-powered democratic government, ensuring public safety, promoting autonomous development and balanced growth, and advancing social integration and historical reconciliation.

A total of 864.9 billion won will be invested in AI-driven government and informatization projects. A new budget of 20.6 billion won has been allocated to support the application and streamlining of AI in the work of government ministries and local governments based on a pan-government AI system. To enhance administrative efficiency, the government will establish a common AI infrastructure and fully support all stages of AI service planning, development, operation, and advancement so that both central and local governments can quickly adopt AI without redundant investments. In addition, 800 million won will be invested to introduce a service that allows citizens to request government benefits in everyday language through an AI agent, which will automatically process the applications without complicated procedures.

A total of 2.5197 trillion won has been allocated to public safety. To respond to abnormal weather events, the government will establish disaster prediction and monitoring systems utilizing advanced technologies such as AI and drones. A new National Safety Industry Fund will be created to foster the growth of the safety industry based on advanced technologies. Disaster response funds for supporting disaster victims and restoring facilities after large-scale disasters such as heavy rain, typhoons, and wildfires have been set at 1.01 trillion won, an increase of 650 billion won compared to this year.

For autonomous development and balanced growth, 2.5921 trillion won will be invested. Notably, 1.15 trillion won has been allocated for the issuance of local gift certificates, an increase of 150 billion won from last year. To boost regional economies and promote balanced growth, the government will provide differentiated national funding: 3% for the Seoul metropolitan area, 5% for non-metropolitan areas, and 7% for regions experiencing population decline. A 1 trillion won Local Extinction Response Fund will be directed toward projects that effectively help overcome local extinction, and income and jobs will be created through profit-generating projects utilizing local resources. The budget for supporting village enterprises that help address regional issues such as population decline has been increased by 3.6 billion won to a total of 5.3 billion won.

In the area of social integration, a budget of 689.8 billion won is planned. The ministry will expand support for nurturing volunteer talent to address social issues such as climate, environment, and disasters, and will implement region-specific volunteer programs with active participation from local communities. A new budget of 18.4 billion won has been allocated to enshrine the remains of civilian victims from before and after the Korean War and to establish nationwide memorial facilities to honor them.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Hojoong stated, “The 2026 budget proposal of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has been structured around core tasks that the public can experience in their daily lives, with the ultimate goal of maximizing public happiness,” adding, “We will do our utmost to ensure that the government’s proposal is faithfully reflected during deliberations in the National Assembly.”

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