The government has disclosed plans to expand investment in the area of science and technology next year.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology unveiled the plan during a briefing to President Lee Myung-bak at the National Research Foundation of Korea in Daejeon on Tuesday.

The government plans to expand investment in research and development from this year’s 12-point-three trillion won to 13-point-six trillion won next year. According to the plan, the government’s investment in R&D would be equivalent to five percent of gross domestic product by 2012.

The ministry also decided to begin developing space launch vehicles next year while seeking to become one of the world’s top exporters of research reactors.

The government also plans to develop and launch a Communication, Ocean and Meteorological Satellite (COMS) in the first half of next year to cut the time it takes to determine weather conditions from the existing 30 minutes to eight minutes.

The government is also aiming to develop and launch a multipurpose satellite by the end of next year.