[Inside Chodong] A Closer Look at Presidential Candidates' 'Science and Technology' Pledges Needed

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] On March 9, the 20th presidential election of the Republic of Korea will be held. While everyone has their own criteria, it is necessary to carefully examine the policies and pledges of each party and candidate regarding the path that Korean science and technology, which is at a turning point and a critical moment, should take, and make a choice. We are now in an era where science and technology determine the 'future' of the nation, including economic and industrial development, national security, and diplomacy.

Korea is living in an era where the 4th Industrial Revolution has fully begun, and new technologies emerge every day, changing the world and causing companies to rise and fall. The technology hegemony war has intensified, making competition between countries even fiercer. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of fostering bio and ICT technologies capable of responding to infectious diseases. The materials, parts, and equipment (Sobu-jang) crisis has brought securing basic original technologies and industrial development to the forefront as an immediate task. To solve these problems, fostering science and technology is the only way. It should be placed at the center of national governance, not just as an administrative tool or means, and receive focused investment and management.

The biggest issue in the science and technology-related pledges of major candidates from both ruling and opposition parties is the introduction of the Minister of Science and Technology position. Countries like the United States, Japan, and China have recently elevated the status of dedicated science and technology organizations to respond to the importance of rapidly changing science and technology policies and to encourage technological development. Korea abolished the Minister of Science and Technology position during the Lee Myung-bak administration, but due to demands from the science and technology community, the position is being proposed for revival in this presidential election. Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party and Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party support the reinstatement, while Yoon Seok-youl of the People Power Party has pledged to directly manage science and technology policies through a reorganization of a presidential office-affiliated dedicated science and technology policy organization instead of reviving the Minister of Science and Technology position.

Within the science and technology community, there are calls for the revival of the Minister of Science and Technology position along with strong authority such as budgetary control. Similar to how safety departments were established in every government and local government office after the Sewol ferry disaster, there is a demand to establish science and technology departments in all ministries and local governments to lead national governance with a 'science and technology' perspective. Since collaboration between companies, academia, and administrative agencies is essential, there are also calls for the activation of 'public-private governance.' The issue of overlapping and inefficiency between the Ministry of Education’s support projects for science and engineering research and the Ministry of Science and ICT also needs to be resolved.

The nurturing of science and engineering talent is also a major issue in the science community. The decline in students’ math and science skills is worsening. Even graduates from science and engineering universities often cannot be deployed in research or practical fields. The top-tier students tend to choose medical school or civil service exams rather than pursuing the difficult path of researchers. Talent outflow is also serious, with students studying abroad in the U.S. often finding employment there or joining China’s Thousand Talents Plan. The academic community demands drastic measures for nurturing and managing science and engineering talent. Treatment and incentives, such as the nominal 'Science and Technology Merit Award' system, need to be significantly strengthened, and efforts to attract outstanding overseas talent should be made.

Overcoming bureaucratic science administration is also a key issue. In Korea’s science and technology community, which has never won a Nobel Prize in science, there is a demand to be allowed to be like Squid Game or BTS. They argue that supporting challenging, autonomous, and creative research will enable the production of disruptive innovative research results that can evolve from a fast follower to a first mover. There is particular dissatisfaction with the project-based, performance-oriented research support system (PBS). Although improvements such as deciding not to conduct quantitative evaluations have been made recently, researchers in the field still have to secure projects 'to make a living.' Administrative efforts often only serve as a show and waste budgets frequently.

Enhancing the professionalism and efficiency of science administration is also urgent. In administrative organizations with rotational work, officials who have worked for only one or two years handle tasks alongside doctors who have devoted decades to research, leading to 'bureaucracy.' A government research institute official pointed out, "In government R&D mainly focused on basic science research, autonomy should be guaranteed to the maximum extent, but if problems arise, strict management with a zero-tolerance policy should be implemented."