South Korea to release AI-friendly 2027 budget proposals

The South Korean government is restructuring its 2027 budget proposal documentation to be 'AI-friendly,' allowing for easier automated analysis. The Ministry of Economy and Finance has distributed new guidelines to all government departments to ensure that budget and fund management information is presented in a format that artificial intelligence can easily interpret.

Key changes include moving away from complex tables with merged cells and free-form descriptive text toward a structure focused on semantic meaning. The new format will feature a clearer information hierarchy, simplified table structures, and segmented data units for business purposes, contents, and legal bases. This transition follows consultations with the National AI Strategy Committee to address previous difficulties AI had in accurately reading complex budget documents.

In a shift in transparency policy, the government will now release these explanatory materials during the initial budget proposal stage submitted to the National Assembly, rather than waiting until the budget is finalized. This move aims to enhance fiscal transparency and improve the efficiency of the National Assembly's budget review process by allowing both citizens and lawmakers to analyze budget scales, calculation bases, and expected effects using AI tools. The materials will be available for viewing and download starting October 2 via the 'Open Fiscal Data' system and individual ministry websites.