"More to Reflect On"... Bittersweet Feelings in Korean Science Community over Fields Medal [Reading Science]

System Failures That Prevent a 'Second Heo Jun' from Emerging: Education and Research Systems Must Change

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] "It's gratifying, but there is much more to reflect on."

When Heo Jun-yi, a distinguished professor at the Institute for Basic Science and a professor at Princeton University in the U.S., became the first Korean to win the Fields Medal, known as the "Nobel Prize of Mathematics," voices emerged from the scientific community. On the afternoon of the 6th, a video interview was conducted with Professor Heo at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul. Although he humbly said, "Korean education raised me," looking at Professor Heo's journey until he blossomed as a mathematician clearly reveals many areas in our scientific community that need to be fixed and changed.

When Professor Heo was in the third year of middle school, he wanted to enter a science high school but was not even given the opportunity because he was considered "too old." This is due to the entrance exam system that requires preparation from the fifth grade of elementary school regardless of talent or ability to enter a science high school. He also said he felt disillusioned with school mathematics, which focused on problem-solving. In this regard, Choi Jae-kyung, president of the Institute for Basic Science, remarked, "It is time to supplement the current system that only tests the ability to solve problems quickly."

The circumstances that led Professor Heo to homeschooling are also worth noting. His parents requested the school to exempt the physically weak Heo from night self-study, but the school refused. Afterwards, Heo chose homeschooling, saying he wanted to become a poet. The rigid education environment could have easily turned Heo into a "dropout." If Heo had met ordinary parents who preferred medical or law schools, he might have become a doctor or lawyer but would not have gained the "free spirit" necessary for great discoveries.

The same applies to university education. Although Seoul National University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy is known for its geniuses, it could not embrace Professor Heo. He took a leave of absence because he could not adapt to his major, and only after meeting Hironaka Heisuke, a Japanese Kyoto University emeritus professor, did he find inspiration and blossom his mathematical talent. This was the reality of Korean university education, which strictly separates disciplines to the extent that forced "interdisciplinary departments" must be created, maintaining an educational system established in the West 200 years ago ? a "prison of scholarship." If it had been a prestigious foreign university that guarantees students the freedom to choose their majors, he might have selected a field suited to his aptitude much earlier.

A Seoul National University emeritus professor said, "To nurture innovative and interdisciplinary talents, the entire university education system must be changed so that students who meet certain qualifications are admitted and then choose their majors according to industrial demand or aptitude." Kim Young-hoon, Professor of Mathematics at Seoul National University and Heo’s mentor, also said, "In our country, information is often limited when choosing a university major," adding, "It is regrettable that he did not discover his brilliance earlier and took a roundabout path. If his giftedness had been discovered and nurtured earlier, he could have received the Fields Medal 4 to 8 years ago."

In the scientific community, there are also growing calls to provide a more stable and long-term research environment like that enjoyed by Professor Heo. During the briefing, Professor Heo revealed, "I devote only four hours a day to research." This is an environment unimaginable for domestic university researchers who attend school all day, teach at least six courses a year, supervise and grade exams, and handle administrative tasks. It is said that science advanced through the dark ages of medieval Europe because monks in monasteries, who were illegitimate children of nobles and had "nothing else to do," devoted themselves to research. Free research, passion to satisfy curiosity, and a stable life can lead to innovative ideas and great discoveries that look 100 years ahead. Professor Kim said, "If Korean scientists cultivate a research culture that pursues their own curiosity rather than competing for large projects or research funds, they could receive Nobel Prizes sooner."