Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung announced South Korea's commitment to bolstering its self-reliant military capabilities while simultaneously pursuing renewed dialogue with North Korea. In a budget speech, Lee emphasized the importance of enhancing national defense to uphold South Korea's pride, which he believes is compromised by reliance on foreign nations for defense.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee detailed plans to transform South Korea's military into a "smart and strong" force by integrating artificial intelligence technology. He reiterated his dedication to establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula by working to rebuild inter-Korean trust and foster conditions conducive to dialogue. Lee's efforts focus on easing military tensions and promoting exchanges, normalization, and denuclearization through his END initiative.
Despite Lee's outreach to North Korea since assuming office in June, Pyongyang has yet to respond. Last week, Lee secured approval from former U.S. President Trump for South Korea to construct nuclear-powered submarines in a U.S.-owned shipyard, marking progress in discussions on nuclear fuel supply.
Additionally, Lee highlighted a tariff agreement with the U.S. that secures competitive tariff levels for key export sectors such as automobiles and semiconductors. During a recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, South Korea and China restored bilateral relations, signing a 70 trillion won currency swap and several memorandums of understanding.
In the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering, Lee showcased South Korea's diplomatic efforts under challenging conditions, aiming to strengthen the nation's global standing through pragmatic diplomacy. He also presented a 728 trillion-won budget for 2026, focusing on AI industry investment to propel South Korea into the global top three AI powers.
The government has allocated 66.3 trillion won to defense, an 8.2 percent increase, to upgrade conventional weapons systems and advance self-reliant defense capabilities. Lee underscored the significance of reclaiming wartime operational control from Washington by 2030 and called for bipartisan support to pass the budget by the December deadline.
The main opposition People Power Party boycotted Lee's speech, protesting a special counsel's decision to pursue an arrest warrant for a lawmaker involved in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law attempt.