Lee pitches future-oriented fund as he seeks parliamentary support for record-high budget

President Lee Jae Myung urged the National Assembly in Seoul on Monday to approve a record-high 820.9 trillion won budget for 2027, highlighting a proposed 162 trillion won future-oriented fund. He said the fund, backed by windfall tax revenue from the semiconductor boom, would support young people, future growth engines, regional economies, and education and skills development. The proposal includes 21.3 trillion won for AI and three megaprojects and 13.8 trillion won for 10 next-generation strategic technology fields. Lee asked lawmakers to approve the budget and related legislation by Dec. 2, while the ruling and opposition parties offered sharply different assessments.

The proposed 2027 budget is 12.8 percent larger than this year’s budget, which was already the biggest on record.

Lee said the 21.3 trillion won allocation for AI and the three megaprojects is nearly double this year’s amount.

The three megaprojects are semiconductors, physical AI and AI data centers.

The 13.8 trillion won allocation is intended to nurture growth engines to follow semiconductors across 10 next-generation strategic technology fields.

The Democratic Party of Korea called the proposal a budget to prepare Korea’s future, while the People Power Party criticized the planned spending as using taxpayers’ money to deplete state coffers.

Published Nov 2, 2026 10:32 am KST

Updated Nov 2, 2026 3:07 pm KST

$120.5 bil. earmarked for 'future-oriented fund'

President Lee Jae Myung delivers an address on the 2027 budget at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung highlighted the need for a proposed 162 trillion won ($120.5 billion) fund to be created to secure momentum for growth and ensure stable fiscal management, during his speech at the National Assembly on Monday.

The "future-oriented fund," backed by windfall tax revenue from the semiconductor boom, is part of next year’s record-high 820.9 trillion won budget, for which he sought parliamentary approval.

Lee said the new fund would focus on four priorities — support for young people, future growth engines, regional economies, and education and skills development.

He outlined related spending plans, including 21.3 trillion won for artificial intelligence (AI) and three megaprojects, along with 13.8 trillion won for 10 next-generation strategic technology fields, while pledging expanded welfare support to ensure the benefits of growth reach more people.

“The new fund to respond to future challenges will provide a platform for strategic investment to boost the economy’s growth potential, and also a mechanism to keep public finances stable as tax revenue fluctuates more widely,” the president said.

“By focusing investment on these four priorities, we will narrow deep divides in our society and build a stronger foundation for growth and development.”

Lawmakers listen to President Lee Jae Myung’s speech on the 2027 budget at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Explaining the aims of the 2027 budget, Lee called for prosperity shared by all people, regions and businesses, rather than concentrated among a privileged few, noting that inequality and polarization were deepening despite Korea’s economic recovery.

He cited 3.8 percent economic growth in the first half, annual exports approaching $1 trillion, per capita gross national income projected to exceed $40,000 and forecasts of the first back-to-back rise in Korea’s potential growth rate in more than four decades.

Despite these signs of recovery, he said young people still struggle to find their first jobs, small business owners face mounting difficulties, regional economies lag and many households remain under financial strain.

“The 2027 budget proposal thus aims to secure Korea’s future as an indispensable, leading nation and ensure that national growth leads to better lives for our people,” the president said.

Building on Korea’s greatly enhanced global standing and economic strength, Lee said that the government has focused investment on future growth engines and narrowing disparities “to lay a solid foundation for a major leap forward and ensure everyone shares fairly in the opportunities and benefits of growth.”

He expressed hope that the three core initiatives covering jobs, financial support for citizens and housing stability, which his administration is pursuing in its second year, would help the three megaprojects — semiconductors, physical AI and AI data centers — and the seven SEED initiatives for future technologies to deliver greater results. SEED stands for "strategic emerging engines for disruptive innovation."

On AI and new growth engines, Lee pledged bold investment, noting that the 21.3 trillion won earmarked for AI and the three megaprojects is nearly double this year’s amount.

As for the 10 next-generation strategic technology fields, Lee explained that the 13.8 trillion won is allocated to nurture new growth engines to follow semiconductors.

On expanded welfare support, the president said eligible recipients will automatically receive major benefits next year without having to apply, while a record 6.7 percent increase in the income benchmark used for about 60 welfare programs will broaden assistance.

Maximum monthly livelihood benefits for a four-person household would rise to 2.21 million won, alongside higher pensions for low-income older people, more senior jobs and broader disability pension coverage.

The president asked lawmakers to approve next year’s budget proposal and accompanying legislation by Dec. 2, the legally mandated deadline.

After Lee's speech, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea described the proposal as "a budget to prepare Korea's future," stressing it will work to pass the budget bill by the legally set deadline.

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP), however, called it a "declaration of war on the people to announce it would deplete state coffers by using taxpayers' money like it is Lee's own," according to a statement by senior spokesperson Park Sung-hoon.

When Lee arrived at the Assembly for the speech, PPP members staged a rally at the lobby with pickets reading "1,400 trillion won in state debt plus 162 trillion won in future-oriented funds that will be future debt."

It was Lee’s fourth budget address since taking office, following speeches on supplementary budgets in June 2025 and April this year, as well as the 2026 budget in November last year.

The proposed 2027 budget is 12.8 percent larger than this year’s, which was already the biggest on record.

韩国总统李在明周一敦促国会批准2027年高达820.9万亿韩元的创纪录预算，并重点提及一项拟议的162万亿韩元面向未来的基金。他表示，该基金将利用半导体繁荣带来的巨额税收收入，支持青年人才培养、未来经济增长、区域经济发展以及教育和技能提升。该提案包括21.3万亿韩元用于人工智能和三个大型项目，以及13.8万亿韩元用于10个下一代战略技术领域。李在明要求议员们在12月2日前批准该预算及相关立法，而执政党和在野党对此则提出了截然不同的评价。

拟议的 2027 年预算比今年的预算高出 12.8%，而今年的预算已经是历史最高水平。

李表示，用于人工智能和三大项目的21.3万亿韩元拨款几乎是今年拨款额的两倍。

这三大巨型项目分别是半导体、物理人工智能和人工智能数据中心。

这笔 13.8 万亿韩元的拨款旨在培育半导体之后 10 个下一代战略技术领域的增长引擎。

韩国民主党称该提案是为韩国未来做准备的预算，而国民力量党则批评计划中的支出是动用纳税人的钱来掏空国库。

发布于2026年11月2日上午10:32（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年11月2日下午3:07（韩国标准时间）

1205亿美元被指定用于“面向未来的基金”

周一，韩国总统李在明在首尔汝矣岛国会发表2027年预算案演说。（韩联社）

李在明总统周一在国会发表讲话时强调，需要设立一项拟议的162万亿韩元（1205亿美元）基金，以确保经济增长势头和财政管理稳定。

这项“面向未来的基金”由半导体繁荣带来的巨额税收支持，是明年创纪录的 820.9 万亿韩元预算的一部分，他为此寻求国会批准。

李表示，新基金将重点关注四个优先事项——支持年轻人、未来增长引擎、区域经济以及教育和技能发展。

他概述了相关的支出计划，包括为人工智能（AI）和三个大型项目投入 21.3 万亿韩元，为 10 个下一代战略技术领域投入 13.8 万亿韩元，同时承诺扩大福利支持，以确保经济增长的成果惠及更多民众。

总统表示：“这项旨在应对未来挑战的新基金将为战略投资提供平台，以促进经济增长潜力，同时也将提供一种机制，在税收收入波动较大的情况下保持公共财政稳定。”

“通过将投资重点放在这四个优先事项上，我们将缩小社会中存在的深刻分歧，并为增长和发展奠定更坚实的基础。”

周一，在首尔汝矣岛的国会大厦，议员们聆听李在明总统关于2027年预算的讲话。（韩联社）

李在解释2027年预算的目标时呼吁所有人民、地区和企业共享繁荣，而不是集中在少数特权阶层手中，并指出尽管韩国经济正在复苏，但不平等和两极分化现象却在加深。

他指出，上半年经济增长率为 3.8%，年出口额接近 1 万亿美元，人均国民总收入预计将超过 4 万美元，并预测韩国潜在增长率将出现 40 多年来的首次连续增长。

尽管出现了这些复苏迹象，但他表示，年轻人仍然难以找到第一份工作，小企业主面临日益严峻的困难，地区经济滞后，许多家庭仍然面临经济压力。

总统表示：“因此，2027 年预算提案旨在确保韩国未来继续保持不可或缺的领先地位，并确保国家发展能够为人民带来更美好的生活。”

李表示，韩国在全球地位和经济实力大幅提升的基础上，政府已将投资重点放在未来的增长引擎和缩小差距上，“为实现重大飞跃奠定坚实基础，并确保每个人都能公平地分享增长带来的机遇和利益”。

他表示希望，其政府在执政第二年推行的三大核心举措——就业、公民财政支持和住房保障——能够助力三大超级项目——半导体、实体人工智能和人工智能数据中心——以及七项面向未来技术的“SEED”计划取得更大成效。“SEED”是“颠覆性创新战略新兴引擎”的缩写。

关于人工智能和新的增长引擎，李承诺将进行大胆投资，并指出为人工智能和三大项目拨出的 21.3 万亿韩元几乎是今年金额的两倍。

至于10个下一代战略技术领域，李解释说，13.8万亿韩元的资金将用于培育半导体之后的新兴增长引擎。

关于扩大福利支持，总统表示，符合条件的受益人明年将自动获得主要福利，无需申请；同时，约 60 项福利计划的收入基准将创纪录地提高 6.7%，这将扩大援助范围。

四口之家每月最高生活津贴将提高至 221 万韩元，同时低收入老年人的养老金也将提高，老年人就业岗位将增加，残疾养老金覆盖范围也将扩大。

总统要求立法者在12月2日（法定截止日期）之前批准明年的预算提案及相关立法。

李在镕发表讲话后，韩国执政的共同民主党将该提案描述为“为韩国未来做准备的预算”，并强调将努力在法律规定的最后期限内通过该预算案。

然而，主要反对党国民力量党（PPP）高级发言人朴成勋在一份声明中称，此举是“向人民宣战，宣布将像使用李光耀自己的钱一样使用纳税人的钱来耗尽国库”。

李在李抵达国会发表讲话时，人民进步党成员在大厅举行集会，举着标语牌，上面写着“1400万亿韩元的国家债务加上162万亿韩元的未来导向型资金，这些资金将成为未来的债务”。

这是李光耀就任总理以来的第四次预算演讲，此前他分别于 2025 年 6 月和今年 4 月发表了补充预算演讲，并于去年 11 月发表了 2026 年预算演讲。

拟议的 2027 年预算比今年的预算高出 12.8%，而今年的预算已经是历史最高水平。