Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology Reinstated After 17 Years... Cross-Ministerial AI and R&D Control Tower

Paik Kyung-hoon to Serve Concurrently as Science and ICT Minister
New Department Dedicated to AI Policy Established
'Cross-Ministerial R&D Control Tower'
Stronger Authority over Budget and Coordination

The position of Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology will be reinstated for the first time in 17 years. Science and ICT Minister Paik Kyung-hoon will concurrently serve in this role, acting as the control tower overseeing science and technology as well as artificial intelligence (AI) policy, and leading the transition to national strategic technologies.

Science and ICT Minister Paik Kyung-hoon is holding a joint briefing with related ministries on the new government's economic growth strategy at the Government Seoul Office Building on August 22, 2025. Photo by Jo Yongjun

According to the government reorganization plan announced by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on September 7, the Minister of Science and ICT will be elevated to the rank of Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology. This reorganization has been promoted as one of the core national policy initiatives of the Lee Jaemyung administration.

The Ministry of Science and Technology, which was launched in 1998 after reorganizing the former Science and Technology Agency, was elevated to a deputy prime minister-level ministry under the Roh Moo-hyun administration in 2004. However, during the Lee Myung-bak administration in 2008, it was merged into the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and the position of Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology was abolished. In 2013, it was separated from the Ministry of Education, merged with the functions of the former Ministry of Information and Communication, renamed as the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, and its functions were expanded. Under the Moon Jae-in administration, it took its current form as the Ministry of Science and ICT. However, the deputy prime minister-level status was not restored.

This elevation to deputy prime minister reflects the new government's commitment to fostering AI as a core national growth engine. With the abolition of the Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs, the Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology will now stand alongside the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Paik Kyung-hoon will also serve as the vice chair of the Presidential National AI Strategy Committee, directly coordinating the national AI strategy. The Ministry of Science and ICT has thus fulfilled its long-standing wish for the reinstatement of the Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology.

The government is aiming to become one of the world's top three AI powers (G3). President Lee has previously stated that "AI will determine the fate of the nation," defining AI as a future growth engine. As key pledges, the administration is focusing on building an "AI highway," strengthening AI competency for all citizens, and making large-scale investments. Next year's research and development (R&D) budget has been set at a record high of 35.3 trillion won. The Ministry of Science and ICT will also establish a new director-general-level department dedicated to AI policy.

With the reinstatement of the Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology, the Ministry of Science and ICT is expected to gain stronger authority over the review and coordination of R&D-related budgets. As major R&D projects increasingly take a cross-ministerial form, and as there are many inter-ministerial coordination issues in science and engineering talent policy and other scientific and technological fields, the ministry is expected to exercise substantial coordinating power. The Office of Science and Technology Innovation within the Ministry of Science and ICT is likely to oversee all R&D-related work scattered across various ministries. There are also expectations that the Meeting of Ministers for Science and Technology, which was restored in 2018 but discontinued under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, may be convened again.

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