President Lee vows 'pioneer purchasing' of imperfect tech prototypes, promises audit immunity for civil servants

President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday the government will actively adopt a "pioneer purchasing" model — buying imperfect prototypes of AI robots and other advanced technologies directly from companies — rather than relying on conventional grants to nurture future industries. Lee also pledged to institutionalize audit immunity for civil servants to shield them from investigation risks, and called on the public for understanding and support.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Lee wrote that "irresponsible attack-style reporting is blocking national development in this era of hybrid policy."

"Supporting companies is essential to growing advanced technology industries," Lee said. "Traditionally, that support has come in the form of loans or outright grants. But cutting-edge companies often care more about sales records, so they frequently ask the government to make the first purchase of a prototype rather than provide financial support — because having a sales record is what makes further sales possible or easier."

Lee then turned to what he described as the practical constraints that have kept the public sector stuck in conventional support methods. "Why does the government choose to give budget grants instead of simply buying what companies actually want?" he said. "It is because of irresponsible criticism. Civil servants know that pioneer purchasing is necessary for industrial development, but they face audits, press attacks and investigations asking why they bought an imperfect product — so they play it safe and purchase only products that are 'verified and have a delivery record.'"

Lee made clear his determination to break through that pattern. "But the people's sovereignty government intends to take that risk and move forward with pioneer purchasing," he said. "Because national and industrial advancement matters more than personal threats to individual public officials, we have decided to accept irresponsible attacks. Of course, we will also thoroughly prepare institutional safeguards — including audit immunity — to protect civil servants."

He also asked supporters and the broader public to help spread the word about the new policy model. "I ask the friends of the people and the president," Lee said. "Even when the government purchases imperfect prototypes such as AI robots instead of providing financial support for advanced future industries, please explain to those around you that this is a hybrid policy sitting between loans and budget grants."