"Gold Aid" 1.5 billion! South Korean government supports shipbuilding technology research and development

　　To ensure South Korea's shipbuilding industry's "Super Gap" technological advantage, the South Korean government will invest 320 billion won (approximately 221 million USD, 1.533 billion RMB) this year to provide financial support for new technology research and development in the shipbuilding industry, an increase of 23% year-on-year.

　　The South Korean industry states that in 2025, South Korea's shipbuilding industry will achieve an export value of 31.8 billion USD (approximately 227.2 billion RMB based on the average exchange rate of USD to RMB in 2025), a 24% increase from 25.63 billion USD in 2024, marking the highest record since 2018 while maintaining growth for three consecutive years; the global order market share will reach 20.2%, an increase of 6.2 percentage points from 2024; particularly in the high-value-added large LNG ship sector, it has regained the number one position in global market share.

　　However, South Korean industry analysis points out that while achieving good performance, South Korea's shipbuilding industry also faces pressure from fierce competition from other countries and rapid changes in the international environment. In addition, apart from large shipbuilding enterprises, enhancing the competitiveness of the relatively weak shipbuilding ecosystem, including ship equipment companies and small and medium-sized shipbuilding enterprises, is even more urgent.

　　According to information released by the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on February 24, in 2026, the department will provide 320 billion won in assistance for technology research and development in areas such as eco-friendly ships, artificial intelligence (AI) autonomous navigation ships, and localization of ship equipment. At the same time, the Ministry also announced the first batch of 34 new technology research and development assistance projects for the shipbuilding industry in 2026, totaling 42.7 billion won (approximately 205 million RMB).

　　These projects focus on three major directions: eco-friendly ship technology, AI technology, and small and medium-sized shipbuilding enterprises. Specifically, the first is to develop zero-carbon fuel power technologies such as ammonia turbines and hydrogen engines, engine exhaust carbon dioxide (CO?) capture and storage systems that meet new international maritime environmental regulations, and electric propulsion system equipment for medium and large ships, which are core technologies for future eco-friendly ships. The second is to develop automated technology for segment assembly of medium and large ships, logistics management technology using mobile unmanned robots to transport components, segments, and equipment, and apply AI technology to the entire process of ship production, manufacturing, and operation, including autonomous navigation ships, promoting the construction of AI shipyards; at the same time, in the field of AI autonomous navigation ships, a large-scale demonstration project will be launched targeting approximately 30 ships in operation in South Korea to collect diverse navigation data needed to support the improvement of AI models. The third is to support technology development aimed at achieving localization of ship equipment and the development of small and medium-sized ship enterprises, comprehensively promoting the localization of icebreaker design technology and core equipment, the development of electric propulsion systems for offshore wind power support ships, and projects such as the development of tugboats integrating autonomous navigation and eco-friendly technology.

　　A relevant person from the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy stated: "Ensuring overwhelming technological competitiveness is the best strategy. The government will continue to promote AI transformation across all fields of the shipbuilding industry and the development of future eco-friendly ship technology through the largest support effort in history this year."

　　It is reported that in March 2024, the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy signed the "Joint Response Agreement to Ensure South Korea's Shipbuilding Industry Super Gap Competitiveness" with three major shipbuilding companies HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, Samsung Heavy Industries, Hanwha Ocean, and the Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Association (KOSHIPA), deciding to jointly invest 9 trillion won from 2024 to 2028 to maintain the super gap competitiveness of South Korea's shipbuilding industry, with the goal of leading investment in future technology. At the same time, the Ministry also jointly released the government and large, medium, and small enterprises cooperation platform "K-Shipbuilding New Generation Initiative" with the South Korean shipbuilding industry, including the three major shipbuilding companies, and decided to transform South Korea's shipbuilding industry into a future sustainable development industry through this initiative. The three major shipbuilding companies will use the signing of this agreement as an opportunity to promote the smooth implementation of their respective investment plans, while the government will cooperate with the investment of each company to provide support for their technology research and development and labor supply.

　　In 2024, the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy provided approximately 186 billion won in financial assistance for new technology research and development to South Korean shipbuilding companies; in 2025, this assistance amount increased to approximately 260 billion won, a 40% increase year-on-year, with approximately 170 billion won invested in the eco-friendly ship sector, approximately 70 billion won in the digital transformation of shipbuilding engineering, and approximately 20 billion won in the autonomous navigation ship sector.