President Lee Jae Myung holds a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. (Yonhap) South Korea’s Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill aimed at fostering the country’s defense semiconductor industry, the Ministry of National Defense said.The bill on nurturing and supporting defense semiconductors is expected to be promulgated later this month and could take effect as early as the fourth quarter, after related enforcement decrees and regulations are prepared.Defense semiconductors are key components of advanced weapons systems, but the sector has lacked a dedicated legal framework, limiting the government’s ability to reflect its specific needs in policy and provide comprehensive support.The ministry said the need to secure self-reliance and a stable supply chain for defense semiconductors has grown as they emerge as strategic assets in the era of artificial intelligence.Since October 2025, the presidential office and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration have operated a pangovernmental task force on defense semiconductor development, joined by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.The proposed law would provide a standing support framework for the sector, including the establishment of basic and implementation plans, support for specialized research and development projects, as well as the creation of reliability testing and certification systems.It also includes measures to give preferential purchases to defense semiconductors secured through R&D, reduce delay penalties to ease the burden of applying such chips to weapons systems and designate defense semiconductor operators to promote domestic production.“The enactment of the defense semiconductor law will mark an important turning point for South Korea’s defense industry, moving beyond weapons manufacturing to securing self-reliance in core semiconductor technologies,” DAPA Minister Lee Yong-cheol said.Lee added that the government would strengthen the competitiveness of defense semiconductors to bolster the foundation for self-reliant defense, while also contributing to the national economy through links with the civilian sector.