The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning announced Thursday that 20 billion won from next year’s budget has been allocated for a project to launch a lunar satellite by 2018.
 
The ministry said funding increased from ten billion won during budget deliberation after lawmakers realized South Korea needs more advanced technology to send a lunar orbiter to space.
 
The science ministry’s overall budget for next year was set at around 14-and-a-half trillion won, an increase of 79 billion won from this year. Of the total budget, research and development-related funding increased around 43 billion won from this year to six-and-a-half trillion won.