Lee to unveil fiscal blueprint for semiconductors, youth at Monday strategy meeting

President Lee Jae Myung will chair the 2026 National Fiscal Strategy Conference Monday afternoon at the Cheong Wa Dae banquet hall, reviewing fiscal investment strategies to advance three major mega-projects and youth policy initiatives.

Held under the slogan "An Irreplaceable Korea Opened by Bold Innovation and Investment," the meeting will bring together Prime Minister Han Seong-suk, Cabinet members and the ruling party's floor leadership to discuss the government's fiscal management direction and key investment priorities.

Three sessions are scheduled, with ministers presenting sector-specific fiscal strategies. In the first session, Ministry of Planning and Budget Minister Park Hong-keun will outline the direction for drafting the 2027 budget and medium-term fiscal management.

The second session, focused on support for the three mega-projects, will feature presentations by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Gyeong-hun on mega-projects covering AI data centers and physical AI; Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Kim Jung-kwan on mega-projects in semiconductors and AI robots; Minister of Climate and Energy Kim Sung-hwan on infrastructure innovation strategies for power and water supply to advanced industries; and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kim Yun-deok on strategies for developing semiconductor and advanced industrial complexes.

The third session, themed around inclusive growth, will see Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol present the Lee administration's youth policy blueprint. Amid deepening youth employment insecurity and polarization, Koo is expected to lay out the government's comprehensive approach to addressing those challenges.

Ministry of Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon will also present on strengthening the social safety net for all working people, while Deputy Prime Minister Bae will speak on the direction of AI for everyone. Each session will be followed by discussion.

Lee has repeatedly called for a focus on proactive fiscal policy, and the meeting is expected to explore a wide range of fiscal investment measures aimed at restoring the economy's growth potential.

Meanwhile, attention is also on whether the proposed "Future Response Fund" — to be established using additional tax revenue from the semiconductor sector — will come up for discussion. The government envisions using the fund to invest in the three mega-projects, address K-shaped polarization, and support youth housing, entrepreneurship, employment and education.