Comprehensive Management of 513 Strategic Technologies... Government Launches 'One Team Korea' Technology Management System

Strengthening Collaboration among the Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Economy and Finance, and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

Connecting R&D, Tax, and Industrial Support through 19 Common Technology Fields

The government is reorganizing the strategic technology management system into an inter-ministerial joint management structure to respond to the global technological hegemony race. Policies that were previously fragmented across research and development (R&D), tax incentives, industrial development, and technology protection will now be integrated into a single system, aiming to simultaneously strengthen both support and protection for national strategic technologies.

The Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy jointly established the “Direction for Strengthening Collaboration and Overhauling the Inter-Ministerial Technology Management System,” which was deliberated and approved at the 5th Meeting of Ministers Related to Science and Technology held on March 11.

Photo to aid understanding of the article. Koo Yoonchul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, and Bae Gyeonghun, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT (from left). Photo by The Asia Business Daily DB

The core of this reorganization is to rebuild the strategic technology management system, which has been operated separately by each ministry, based on “common technology fields,” thus establishing a holistic government-wide cooperation system. The government will group and manage the 513 strategic technologies designated under various statutes into 19 common technology fields.

513 Strategic Technologies under Four Statutes...Reorganized into 19 Common Technology Fields

The government will first focus on overhauling the technology management system around four statutes that are highly significant in terms of policy and impact. The statutes are: ▲ National Strategic Technology Promotion Act ▲ Restriction of Special Taxation Act ▲ National Advanced Strategic Industry Act ▲ Industrial Technology Protection Act.

The total number of strategic technologies designated under these statutes is 513: 50 national strategic technologies, 365 strategic and new growth technologies eligible for special tax incentives, 19 national advanced strategic technologies, and 79 national core technologies.

The government will reorganize and manage these within 19 common technology fields such as semiconductors, displays, artificial intelligence (AI) and software, quantum, bio, secondary batteries, space and aviation, among others. The purpose is to enhance consistency in each ministry’s policy direction and make it easier for companies and researchers to identify which technologies are eligible for national support.

In particular, by analyzing overlaps within the technology management system based on common technology fields, the government will identify “priority support areas” and focus R&D investments and industrial development policies in those fields.

Common Technology Fields Summary Table. Provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT

Strengthening Inter-Ministerial Collaboration...Operation of a Standing Consultative Body

The government will also enhance inter-ministerial collaboration during the process of overhauling the technology management system. While technology designation and operational procedures will continue to be handled by the existing review bodies under each statute, broader changes to the national technology management framework will be discussed jointly at the ministerial level.

Additionally, a standing consultative body will be operated, comprising the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, as well as working-level agencies such as the Korea Institute of Science & Technology Planning and Evaluation, the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, and the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology Evaluation and Planning, to share institutional reform directions and major policies in advance.

Furthermore, to respond to changes in the technological and industrial environment, the government will regularize the review process for designating and de-designating strategic technologies. The government will continuously adjust the list, taking into comprehensive consideration changes in technological importance, policy objectives, and links to other technology management systems.

Linking R&D, Tax, and Finance...Expanding Support for Strategic Technologies

The government will expand policy support so that the strategic technology management system not only designates technologies but also leads to tangible research outcomes and enhanced industrial competitiveness.

To achieve this, the government will strengthen its links with national R&D investments, and connect policy finance, such as the National Growth Fund and the Science & Technology Innovation Fund, to strategic technology fields. This direction will also be reflected in the “Second National R&D Mid- to Long-term Investment Strategy,” which is currently being formulated.

The government has also created a “technology system status map” that allows companies and researchers to easily view the current status of strategic technology designations as well as support and protection systems at a glance. This will help companies and researchers easily understand the available support benefits and protection obligations related to these technologies.

Going forward, the government plans to build a public information portal to comprehensively provide policy information related to strategic technologies, based on this system.

Bae Gyeonghun, Minister of Science and ICT and Deputy Prime Minister, stated, “As global technology competition intensifies, national strategic technologies are assets that both the government and the private sector must foster and protect together. We will continue to strengthen collaboration among related ministries so that researchers and companies can clearly understand the system, receive appropriate support, and faithfully fulfill their protection obligations.”

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