South Korea will spend nearly 2.2 trillion won (US$2.08 billion) on research and
development (R&D) in 2013, with nearly half of its entire budget earmarked
for basic science, the government said Monday.
The government will
spend a total of 2.19 trillion won on R&D this year, up 6.4 percent from
2012, according to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
Of the total, 993.1 billion won, or 45.3 percent, will be spent on the
development of basic science with another 469.1 billion won earmarked for the
development of new, indigenous technologies.
The country will also
spend some 167 billion won on its space development program with 80 billion won
set aside for the development of an indigenous space launch vehicle, up from 44
billion won last year, it said.
South Korea is scheduled to launch its
Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, whose lower thrust engine was built by Russia, in
its third attempt to send a rocket into space from its own soil.
The
ongoing space rocket program ends later in the year, but the country seeks to
develop its own 350-ton space rocket by 2021.