Yang Hyang-ja Lawmaker Publishes Presidential Candidate 'Science and Technology Policy Questionnaire' Responses

Candidate Lee Jae-myung's "135 Trillion Investment in Digital Transformation"... Candidate Ahn Cheol-soo's Pledges Including "Amendment of the Serious Accident Punishment Act"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Yang Hyang-ja, member of the National Assembly (Gwangju Seo-gu Eul), disclosed the response letter to the ‘Science and Technology Policy and Pledge Inquiry’ sent to major presidential candidate camps on the 24th.

Assemblywoman Yang, a former semiconductor engineer, published the ‘Science and Technology Hegemony Nation,’ a white paper on the semiconductor war and a report on the Korean economy, in June last year, and conducted a ‘Science and Technology Awareness Survey’ targeting domestic companies.

Based on these results, Assemblywoman Yang and five economic organizations (Korea Employers Federation, Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Federation of Korean Industries, Korea Federation of SMEs, Korea Federation of Medium-sized Enterprises) jointly held the ‘Science and Technology Hegemony Nation National Assembly Grand Debate.’ The science and technology policy and pledge inquiry, including the discussed contents, was publicly delivered to major ruling and opposition presidential candidates last December.

Assemblywoman Yang stated, “As a result of sending the policy inquiry to the presidential candidate camps of Lee Jae-myung, Yoon Seok-yeol, Sim Sang-jung, Ahn Cheol-soo, and Kim Dong-yeon, we received a response from candidate Ahn Cheol-soo. Candidate Lee Jae-myung reorganized his response focusing on the announced science and technology pledges, but despite multiple inquiries, there were no responses from candidates Yoon Seok-yeol, Sim Sang-jung, and Kim Dong-yeon.”

The public policy inquiry consisted of questions about the next government’s policy directions in five areas: ▲strategic industry promotion ▲science and technology policy ▲regional and SME coexistence ▲regulatory reform ▲climate change response.

In the strategic industry promotion area, both candidates Lee Jae-myung and Ahn Cheol-soo pledged to actively foster strategic business sectors that will lead future industries.

Candidate Lee Jae-myung promised ▲the establishment of ‘5 major superclusters’ in semiconductors, future mobility, secondary batteries, displays, and bio-health ▲promotion of the ‘Emerging 5 New Industry Projects’ in robotics, green energy, aerospace, fashion tech, and metaverse ▲and bold digital transformation investments worth approximately 135 trillion won.

Candidate Ahn Cheol-soo responded that he would promote the cultivation of global leading companies with super-gap advantages in five fields: displays, secondary batteries, next-generation nuclear power, hydrogen energy, and bio-industry.

In the science and technology policy area, both candidates Lee Jae-myung and Ahn Cheol-soo promised the introduction of a ‘Science and Technology Deputy Prime Minister system’ and a private-sector and field-centered R&D system.

Candidate Lee Jae-myung pledged ▲selection of 10 future strategic technologies as ‘Presidential Big Projects’ ▲establishment of a presidential direct ‘Space Strategy Headquarters’ ▲and nurturing ‘1 million innovative future talents’ for the digital era. Candidate Ahn Cheol-soo highlighted expanding the domestic R&D expenditure ratio to 5% of GDP per capita as a representative policy.

In the regional and SME coexistence area, candidate Lee Jae-myung proposed securing fair competition order through ▲a delivery price linkage system ▲reestablishment of a technology theft prevention system ▲guaranteeing the rights of online platform-affiliated small business associations to organize and negotiate, supporting the improvement of social perception of SMEs and digital transformation, aiming for a leap to a ‘nation of premium SMEs.’

He also presented a blueprint for an ‘innovative startup nation’ based on government venture investment budgets of 10 trillion won by 2027, supporting competitiveness enhancement for materials, parts, and equipment companies.

In the regulatory reform area, both candidates Lee Jae-myung and Ahn Cheol-soo agreed to shift from a positive regulation system to a negative regulation system.

Additionally, candidate Lee Jae-myung emphasized the activation of regulatory sandboxes and regulatory free zones, while candidate Ahn Cheol-soo responded that amendments to the Serious Accident Punishment Act are necessary to hold all processes and parties accountable, not just punish the results of industrial accidents.

In the climate change response area, candidate Lee Jae-myung pledged to build a ‘world-leading green industry powerhouse’ by ▲establishing a Ministry of Climate and Energy ▲building an AI-based active transmission and distribution network ▲actively supporting fossil fuel businesses’ transition to green industries ▲imposing a carbon tax ▲and significantly expanding electric vehicle infrastructure and subsidies.

Candidate Ahn Cheol-soo responded that he would strive to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 with an energy mix of 35% nuclear energy + 35% renewable energy + 30% other energy sources.

Assemblywoman Yang said, “This presidential election is an important turning point to choose a leader who will lead Korea for the next 100 years amid the US-China technology hegemony competition,” adding, “Presidential candidates should clearly state their positions and directions on science and technology policies that determine the nation’s fate and be evaluated by voters on their qualifications.”

She continued, “For a long time, I have advocated the introduction of the ‘Science and Technology Deputy Prime Minister system’ by leading the ‘Partial Amendment to the Government Organization Act’ for Korea’s leap to a science and technology hegemony nation, and now it has become a standard pledge for all next presidential candidates. Likewise, fostering future strategic industries including semiconductors and nurturing advanced science talents are issues critical to our survival. I look forward to innovative science and technology support policies from the next presidential candidates,” she emphasized.

She added, “Through the disclosed response letters, the public will be able to judge which candidate genuinely holds sincerity in science and technology policies. As a politician with a background in science and technology, I will continue to raise awareness of science and technology policies and fulfill my role to help Korea leap to a science and technology hegemony nation.”