South Korea bets on industrial policy again

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's government has launched an industrial policy strategy to promote semiconductors, AI infrastructure, robotics and other frontier industries, aiming to bolster future growth and competitiveness. The initiative reflects a global trend where governments are using subsidies, tax incentives, public finance, trade measures and strategic regulation to shape their economies, driven by concerns over technological leadership and supply-chain resilience.

SEOUL – Around the world, governments are again using the tools of industrial policy — subsidies, tax incentives, public finance, trade measures and strategic regulation — to shape their economies. South Korea is no exception. President Lee Jae Myung’s government has launched an ambitious strategy to promote semiconductors, AI infrastructure, robotics and other frontier industries, with the goal of bolstering future growth and competitiveness. But the path ahead is littered with obstacles. The return of industrial policy is not simply a policy trend. Markets often underinvest in new technologies, because of coordination failures, learning externalities and economies of scale. But at a time when technological leadership and supply-chain resilience have moved to the center of national-security agendas, governments cannot afford to wait. They are now asking not whether they should pursue industrial policy, but what kind is right for them.