The South Korean government has announced the establishment of a 20 billion won “National Safety Industry Fund” to support early-stage companies in the disaster safety and security sectors that utilize advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. The fund aims to help these companies enhance their technologies and expand into domestic and international markets.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Police Agency jointly revealed the fund as part of the government’s policy initiative to establish a comprehensive disaster safety management system. The fund will be divided equally, with 10 billion won allocated to the disaster safety industry and another 10 billion won to the security industry, and will be financed by 10 billion won each from the government, private investors, and local governments.
The fund will support activities such as technology development, product enhancement, marketing, certification and patent acquisition, and workforce recruitment to help companies attract further investment. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Police Agency are currently working with Korea Venture Investment to select a private operator and secure additional private funding.
Official investments through the fund are scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026, with plans to gradually expand the fund’s scale through discussions with fiscal authorities. Kim Yong-kyun, Director of the Safety Prevention Policy Division at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated, “We hope this fund will serve as a stepping stone for the growth of companies that protect citizens’ lives and property, and we will continue to provide policy support to ensure advanced safety technologies are implemented in the field.”