The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of South Korea has proposed a budget of 882.9 billion won for the upcoming year. The agency plans to focus its funding on managing drug addiction, transitioning food safety systems to artificial intelligence (AI), and supporting regulations for biopharmaceuticals.
On September 1, the FDA announced that its budget for 2027 is a 6.1% increase from this year's 832 billion won. The budget will be finalized after review and approval by the National Assembly.
The budget is allocated across four main areas: ensuring safe food and a healthy eating environment, digital and AI transformation of food safety systems, enhancing global competitiveness of K-food and drug products, and promoting safe daily living related to food and drugs.
The largest portion, 204.4 billion won, is dedicated to ensuring safe food and a healthy eating environment. In response to the rapid distribution of agricultural products due to the expansion of online shopping and early morning deliveries, the FDA plans to establish one rapid inspection center each in the Gyeongsang and Jeolla regions. This initiative aims to filter out substandard agricultural products before delivery. The number of inspections for imported food products will also increase to 10,000, with enhanced management of potentially harmful products, including those containing narcotic substances.
The FDA will invest 70.8 billion won in the AI transformation of its food safety management system. The budget for integrating an AI-based food information system will rise significantly from 800 million won this year to 11.5 billion won next year. The plan includes consolidating 16 types of food information systems into an AI framework to automate administrative tasks and provide real-time dietary information to consumers. The agency also intends to offer a 24-hour regulatory consultation service to the industry.
Funding for drug-related initiatives will also increase. The FDA has raised its budget for strengthening drug safety management from 9.7 billion won this year to 11.9 billion won next year, and allocated 17.8 billion won to support anti-drug campaigns. Notably, 4.6 billion won has been earmarked for establishing a 'Drug Addiction Management System' to integrate the treatment and rehabilitation histories of drug addicts. The system will utilize AI trained on counseling data to identify individuals at risk of relapse early and ensure continuous support throughout the legal and treatment processes.
The budget also includes support for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries, with 175.2 billion won allocated to enhance the global competitiveness of K-food and drug products. The FDA will invest 5.8 billion won to support regulatory measures for contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) in the biopharmaceutical sector. Additionally, 4.8 billion won will be allocated for regulatory technology support in global drug approval processes, and 4.9 billion won for establishing quality certification standards for biopharmaceutical raw materials.
Support for the Rare and Essential Medicines Center will increase from 7.5 billion won this year to 8 billion won next year. The budget will also include 5 billion won for research and development aimed at ensuring stable supply of essential medicines, which often face production and distribution challenges due to low profitability.
The FDA stated, "Once the budget is finalized through the National Assembly's review and approval, we will diligently pursue key national tasks and policies to protect public health and safety."
On September 1, the FDA announced that its budget for 2027 is a 6.1% increase from this year's 832 billion won. The budget will be finalized after review and approval by the National Assembly.
The budget is allocated across four main areas: ensuring safe food and a healthy eating environment, digital and AI transformation of food safety systems, enhancing global competitiveness of K-food and drug products, and promoting safe daily living related to food and drugs.
The largest portion, 204.4 billion won, is dedicated to ensuring safe food and a healthy eating environment. In response to the rapid distribution of agricultural products due to the expansion of online shopping and early morning deliveries, the FDA plans to establish one rapid inspection center each in the Gyeongsang and Jeolla regions. This initiative aims to filter out substandard agricultural products before delivery. The number of inspections for imported food products will also increase to 10,000, with enhanced management of potentially harmful products, including those containing narcotic substances.
The FDA will invest 70.8 billion won in the AI transformation of its food safety management system. The budget for integrating an AI-based food information system will rise significantly from 800 million won this year to 11.5 billion won next year. The plan includes consolidating 16 types of food information systems into an AI framework to automate administrative tasks and provide real-time dietary information to consumers. The agency also intends to offer a 24-hour regulatory consultation service to the industry.
Funding for drug-related initiatives will also increase. The FDA has raised its budget for strengthening drug safety management from 9.7 billion won this year to 11.9 billion won next year, and allocated 17.8 billion won to support anti-drug campaigns. Notably, 4.6 billion won has been earmarked for establishing a 'Drug Addiction Management System' to integrate the treatment and rehabilitation histories of drug addicts. The system will utilize AI trained on counseling data to identify individuals at risk of relapse early and ensure continuous support throughout the legal and treatment processes.
The budget also includes support for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries, with 175.2 billion won allocated to enhance the global competitiveness of K-food and drug products. The FDA will invest 5.8 billion won to support regulatory measures for contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) in the biopharmaceutical sector. Additionally, 4.8 billion won will be allocated for regulatory technology support in global drug approval processes, and 4.9 billion won for establishing quality certification standards for biopharmaceutical raw materials.
Support for the Rare and Essential Medicines Center will increase from 7.5 billion won this year to 8 billion won next year. The budget will also include 5 billion won for research and development aimed at ensuring stable supply of essential medicines, which often face production and distribution challenges due to low profitability.
The FDA stated, "Once the budget is finalized through the National Assembly's review and approval, we will diligently pursue key national tasks and policies to protect public health and safety."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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