South Korea targets bold AI investment in record 2027 budget.

Speaking to the National Assembly on Monday, Lee said total spending for 2027 would rise 12.8% to 820.9 trillion won ($610.14 billion), including 21.3 trillion won for semiconductors, physical AI and AI data centers — nearly double the 2026 level. A separate 4.7 trillion won will go toward developing a sovereign AI model with what Lee described as the “world’s highest performance.” The government also plans to invest heavily in talent, including training 2,000 specialists to “lead semiconductor design and the regional semiconductor industry,” while expanding AI education for students, job seekers and existing workers. South Korea has set up university “contract departments,” where students can enroll in company-linked degrees that offer pathways to jobs at firms like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix before graduation.

Companies help design courses, provide financial support and recruit qualifying graduates.

The record spending plan comes as the International Monetary Fund forecasts South Korea’s economy will grow 3.3% in 2026, its fastest pace since the post-pandemic rebound in 2021.

Lee said the higher spending would result in “virtually no net increase in government debt,” with newly issued bonds used to repay existing debt.

The budget also increases spending on defense and social security for the youth. Defense expenditure is set to rise 8.2% to 73.3 trillion won.

“We will rapidly transform into a smart, elite, and powerful military by establishing a hybrid manned and unmanned system based on AI, robots, and drones,” Lee said.

South Korea’s strong economic growth has been driven largely by semiconductor exports as global demand for computing power rises with the AI boom. Exports surged 93.7% from a year earlier to a record $115.3 billion in October, according to data released Sunday by the Korea Customs Service. Shipments totalled $930 billion in the first 10 months of 2026, surpassing the $900 billion mark for the first time. The country posted a $42.5 billion trade surplus in October, with imports rising 36% year on year to $72.8 billion. Lee said South Korea was within reach of $1 trillion in annual exports, citing strong performance in key industries including semiconductors.