The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ budget for next year has been finalized at approximately 660 billion won less than this year. This is the first time in 20 years that the ministry’s budget has decreased compared to previous years, and the scale of the reduction is also the largest ever. The significant cut is largely attributed to the sharp reduction in Cambodia’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget, which has been the subject of allegations involving former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife, Kim Keon-hee, and the Unification Church.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 3, the “2026 Budget Bill and Fund Management Plan” passed the National Assembly plenary session the previous day, finalizing the ministry’s budget at 3.6152 trillion won. This is a decrease of 663.6 billion won (15.5%) compared to this year’s budget of 4.2788 trillion won.
About 60% of the ministry’s budget is allocated to ODA, and the significant reduction in this item led to the overall budget cut. Next year’s ODA budget is set at 2.1852 trillion won, down 623.2 billion won from this year’s 2.8093 trillion won, accounting for most of the decrease. Looking at the details, the humanitarian aid portion of the ODA budget was halved from 670.2 billion won to 335.5 billion won. The budget for the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) was also finalized at 1.1389 trillion won, a decrease of 156.6 billion won from this year. Contributions to international organizations will also decrease from 826.2 billion won this year to 681.8 billion won next year.
As South Korea’s national standing in the international community has risen amid increasingly complex global affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ budget has steadily increased over the past 20 years. This is the first time since 2006 that the budget has been reduced compared to the previous year.
However, next year’s personnel and basic operating expenses for the ministry will increase by 14.5 billion won and 6.8 billion won, respectively, compared to this year. These funds will be used to increase the number of consular officers responsible for overseas safety and administrative staff handling incidents and accidents at overseas missions, in response to transnational crime victimization such as the recent Cambodia incident, which has become a social issue.
Additionally, as a follow-up to the detention of Korean workers in Georgia, United States, in September, a new budget of 500 million won has been allocated to support companies entering the U.S. A budget of 660 million won has also been secured to improve Korea-China relations and promote goodwill.
An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “By efficiently executing the 2026 budget approved by the National Assembly, we will actively pursue practical diplomacy centered on the national interest amid the rapidly changing international order.”
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