Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Finalizes Next Year's Budget at 832 Billion Won: "Largest Ever"

Strengthening Key Initiatives Including Rapid Commercialization of Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical Products
Introducing Cosmetics Safety Evaluation Systems and Advancing Food Hazard Prediction

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on December 4 that it has finalized its budget for next year at 832 billion won. This represents an increase of 10.9% (81.8 billion won) compared to this year.

This is the largest budget since the establishment of the Ministry, with the National Assembly adding 19.8 billion won to the government’s original proposal of 812.2 billion won during the budget review process.

The Ministry allocated its budget with a focus on four key areas: expanding the foundation for pharmaceutical and biohealth safety and innovative growth, strengthening customized food and drug safety support considering the regulatory environment, creating a safe food supply and healthy dietary environment, and establishing a proactive food and drug safety management system to prepare for the future.

The main budget increases approved by the National Assembly include 15.5 billion won for personnel and operating expenses due to the expansion of staff for permit and review innovation, 700 million won to strengthen the public supply and response to supply issues of rare and essential medicines, and 300 million won to enhance advanced technology job training for permit and review staff. Additionally, the budget for expanding the collection and disposal of abandoned narcotics was increased by 200 million won, 200 million won was added for the operation of conditional prosecution deferral programs linking judicial, treatment, and rehabilitation services, 400 million won for activities as the chair country of CODEX, 500 million won for the expansion of the restaurant hygiene rating system, and 1 billion won for the expansion of integrated meal service management support centers.

Specifically, the Ministry plans to build infrastructure to shorten the permit and review period for all areas of biohealth to 240 days, the shortest in the world. It will also strengthen the foundation for the stable supply of rare and essential medicines and support the rapid commercialization of promising products that utilize artificial intelligence (AI) in the food and medical device sectors.

To address non-tariff barriers such as safety evaluation systems in Europe and China that affect cosmetics exports, and halal certification in Islamic countries, the Ministry will also implement various regulatory support measures to expand the export of domestic cosmetics.

In response to industry requests for regulatory support, the Ministry will secure specialized staff for tailored consultations on advanced and next-generation biopharmaceuticals and proactively establish guidelines for reviewing new technologies and concepts, including those utilizing AI.

To ensure food safety, the Ministry will expand the installation of integrated meal service management support centers nationwide and provide financial support, such as smart sensor installation costs, to small and micro businesses wishing to adopt the smart food safety management certification standard (HACCP).

Additionally, the Ministry will establish an automated system for pharmaceutical permits and reviews and integrate 15 different food sector information systems. As the narcotics investigation infrastructure expands, the Ministry will also secure digital forensic personnel and equipment dedicated to the investigation of medical narcotics.

The Ministry stated, "With the secured budget, we will do our utmost to implement the new government’s key policy initiatives and priority projects without disruption, and to protect the health and safety of the public."