"We Will Not Miss the Voices of Future Food Companies Such as Startups"

Ministry of Science and ICT Appoints 4th Committee Members of Innovation Growth Engine Special Committee, Discusses Policy Directions

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] On the afternoon of the 9th, the Ministry of Science and ICT newly appointed members of the 4th Innovation Growth Engine Special Committee under the National Science and Technology Advisory Council.

The 4th Growth Engine Special Committee consists of a total of 12 members, with Lee Kyung-soo, Director of the Science and Technology Innovation Headquarters at the Ministry of Science and ICT, and Seo Gwi-hyun, Director of the Hanmi Pharmaceutical Research Center, serving as co-chairs. The Innovation Growth Special Committee was established in 2014 under the National Science and Technology Council to deliberate and decide on major policies and focused investment areas in research and development (R&D) in growth engine fields based on science and technology. The 4th committee members include experts in humanities, social sciences, economics, venture investment, and female scientists. Private members appointed include Kim Young-min, President of LG Economic Research Institute; Choi Seok-jun, Research Planning Team Leader at CJ Future Management Research Institute; Ryu Jung-hee, CEO of FuturePlay Co., Ltd.; Lee Yoon-kyung, Executive Director at Samsung Electronics; Jung Eun-hye, Professor at Seoul National University; Lee Hyun-jung, Professor at Kookmin University; Moon Ji-sook, Professor at CHA University; Seok Hyun-kwang, Head of Research Planning and Coordination at Korea Institute of Science and Technology; and Kim Hyung-jun of Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute.

The committee also held its 20th meeting on the same day, where it approved the operating regulations and discussed strategies for promoting growth engine policies.

In his opening remarks, Director Lee Kyung-soo stated, "Despite the COVID-19 crisis, our country has achieved remarkable economic outcomes such as entering the global economy Top 10 and setting record-high export volumes, based on excellent technological competitiveness in semiconductors, secondary batteries, and displays." He added, "The persistent global technology gap and instability caused by the technological hegemony competition between the U.S. and China prevent us from resting on these achievements." Director Lee emphasized, "As technology emerges as a core national capability, it is important to prepare future food source response strategies based on science and technology, and through the special committee, we will continuously discover and support promising new industry sectors."

Private Co-chair Seo Gwi-hyun also said, "We will do our best to ensure that the diverse voices pursued and needed by the industry are reflected in the formulation of innovation growth engine policies." He added, "In particular, we will closely monitor to ensure that the voices of companies and related experts developing and innovating technologies that create future food sources, including startups, are not overlooked."