Former ministers of South Korea's Ministry of Planning and Budget urged the government to direct surplus tax revenue from the semiconductor boom into a future response fund to expand growth engines. They also called for stronger national planning, structural reform and coordination between fiscal and reform policies as artificial intelligence accelerates amid domestic and external uncertainty. Minister of Planning and Budget Park Hong-keun held the Sept. 30 meeting with former ministers who served during the ministry's existence from 1999 to 2008, including first minister Jin Nyum, Park Bong-heum, Kim Byung-il, Byeon Yang-gyun and Jang Byung-wan. The session was the first with former ministers since the ministry's re-establishment. Participants urged the ministry to act as a government-wide coordinator rather than focus narrowly on individual sectors, while Jang praised recent education-fund reform and called for an environment where public servants can take pride in their work. Park said the government would continue efforts to expand growth engines and address polarization using the former ministers' advice.