SEOUL - South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Monday vowed to make bold investments in the defense and aerospace industries during his single five-year term.

Lee made the vow in his address at the opening ceremony of the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2025, saying that his government will inject an unprecedented budget into research and development (R&D) of the defense and aerospace sectors by 2030.

The president set a vision to elevate the Asian country to one of the world's top four defense industry powers.

Lee said the fiscal spending will focus on developing homegrown technologies, components and materials, such as special semiconductors, in a bid to secure core technologies and weapon systems for defense and build capabilities for independent space development.

The South Korean leader pledged to make a breakthrough improvement in policies and systems, which would speed up the adoption of innovative technologies by the military.

He also vowed to drastically lower entry barriers for small and medium-sized enterprises and startups with excellent technologies in the defense and aerospace industries.

Lee said in a separate forum that "making weapons well" could not mean the defense industry development, through which the production should be localized as much as possible and markets should be diversified and expanded.