산업 예산 30% 늘릴 때 복지는 9%만…‘양극화 완화’ 정책 목표 무색

South Korea's newly released 820 trillion won budget aims to achieve a "potential growth rate boost" and "reduce socioeconomic polarization". The government plans to heavily invest in future growth drivers and strengthen support for vulnerable groups to ensure the benefits of growth are distributed more evenly. However, while the industry sector receives a 30% increase in budget, the welfare sector only sees a 9% increase, raising questions about whether the "reduction of socioeconomic polarization" policy objective is being adequately met.

In the 2027 budget, the government allocates 21 trillion won to AI and three mega-projects (semiconductors, physical AI and AI data centers), nearly doubling the 10.8 trillion won allocated this year. The government also sets aside 1.5 trillion won for semiconductor special accounts to support South and Southeast Asia semiconductor clusters, 1.1 trillion won for physical AI infrastructure, and 12.2 trillion won for developing frontier AI models essential for AI model construction.

The government also plans to invest 3.7 trillion won in cultural development, including K-content competitiveness enhancement and the creation of five major tourism destinations, as well as 3.7 trillion won for a "stone-level" hotel construction subsidy. In the energy transition sector, the government provides 6 trillion won to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles and expand solar panel installations, including 3.4 trillion won for semiconductor supply chain support, 15 trillion won for 10 strategic technologies, and 6.6 trillion won for energy transformation.

Despite the substantial budget increase for strategic industries, welfare sector spending only rose by 9.3%, falling far short of the 29.7% increase in industry, SME and energy sector spending.