Lee said annual exports of US$1 trillion were now within reach, but warned that the benefits were not being shared evenly.
“We must make a great transition from ‘growth for the few,’ in which opportunities and gains are concentrated among certain regions, classes and a small number of companies, to ‘growth for all,’” he said.
The budget includes a 162.3 trillion won Future Response Fund, financed largely by additional tax revenue from the semiconductor boom, to support growth industries, young people, regional development and education while providing a buffer against future revenue shortfalls.
Lee is simultaneously pursuing nationwide megaprojects centred on chips, physical AI and data centres, including an 800 trillion won private sector chip buildout led by Samsung and SK Hynix in the country’s southwest.