Yeom Han-woong, Vice Chair of the Science and Technology Advisory Council, "Moon Administration's Public-Private Cooperation in Science and Technology Not Well Achieved"

Held a Press Conference on the Afternoon of the 25th to Share Reflections on Five Years

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Yeom Han-woong, Vice Chairman of the 'Presidential National Science and Technology Advisory Council,' criticized the Moon Jae-in administration's science and technology policy, stating that the public-private cooperation system (governance) did not function properly.

On the afternoon of the 25th, Vice Chairman Yeom held a press briefing at an office near Gwanghwamun, Seoul, where he shared his evaluation of the current administration's science and technology policy and his requests for the next government.

Vice Chairman Yeom first stated, "The era of government-led development of future food industries is over," criticizing the Moon administration's science and technology investment direction as misguided. Promising future industries and technologies with good business potential should be entrusted to companies, while the government's public research and development (R&D) should focus on improving the quality of life and happiness of the people, addressing infectious disease solutions, responding to aging, and improving fine dust, even if they are not profitable. However, the current administration's approach of discovering specific industries to create new growth engines and foster future food industries by nurturing strategic technologies is a step behind global trends and the recent innovation environment, according to Vice Chairman Yeom's concerns.

Vice Chairman Yeom also pointed out that during President Moon Jae-in's five-year tenure, the public and private sectors did not work in harmony regarding science and technology policy. Despite issues and crises related to science and technology such as the Pohang earthquake, radon beds, fine dust, the materials-parts-equipment (So-Bu-Jang) crisis, COVID-19 infectious disease, and strategic technologies, the advisory council was marginalized and failed to play its proper role. Although President Moon was nominally the head of the advisory council, he did not attend regularly or show active interest, and collaboration with related ministries such as the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy was not maintained.

He criticized, "The advisory council was not given a proper role in the policy discussion process, and especially the inter-ministerial collaboration structure did not function properly. Although ministers participated in the advisory council, meaningful discussions did not take place except in the early stages."

He also lamented that during the current administration's term, the 4th Industrial Revolution Committee and the Carbon Neutrality Committee were launched, and the Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology was established, which narrowed the space for the advisory council.

Vice Chairman Yeom said, "It is necessary to have a clear division of roles and good coordination among related organizations, and leadership is also important for this. I hope that a better public-private cooperation system will be established in the next government."

Meanwhile, Vice Chairman Yeom is a professor of physics at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and also serves as the director of the Center for Atomic Control of Low-Dimensional Electronic Systems at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), making him a leading scholar in the domestic physics community. He has served as vice chairman of the advisory council for five years since 2017. The advisory council advises and deliberates on the country's mid- to long-term science and technology policy directions and major policies to the president. The president is the chairperson, and the vice chairman is responsible for practical operations.