[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The Ministry of Economy and Finance faced backlash and halted its attempt to incorporate the four major science and technology institutes into the newly proposed 'Special Account for Higher and Lifelong Education Support.' The four major science and technology institutes refer to the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST). Currently, these institutes operate under the Ministry of Science and ICT and independently manage their budgets under separate special laws.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance pushed for this institutional reform, arguing that the education grant budget for elementary and secondary education was left unused due to declining student numbers, and thus wanted to expand support to universities and adult education. The discussion period was short, starting from September. Despite this, the ministry convened the presidents of the four institutes via video conference at the end of last month and then pressured them by directly notifying, "Please decide your position by this weekend." A Ministry of Science and ICT official expressed disbelief, saying, "As far as I know, this is the first time such an incident has occurred."
The Ministry of Economy and Finance also engaged in a public relations campaign by leaking unconfirmed information such as "(If the four institutes are incorporated) hundreds of millions of won more in budget can be provided." This led some to argue, "Why are the four major science and technology institutes kicking away a blessing?" In fact, one president of a science and technology institute was reportedly half persuaded by the ministry's 'temptation' and seemed to agree, but after internal and external criticism and feedback, realized the reality and actively opposed it. As the four institutes clearly opposed the plan and even students began signature campaigns, the Ministry of Science and ICT stepped in mid-month to reject the proposal, which the Ministry of Economy and Finance accepted, bringing the issue to a close.
What is noteworthy is that various problems were exposed during this process. It became a representative case showing that the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, which pledged to build a 'science and technology-centered nation,' has not properly communicated with the science and technology community since its inauguration. The criticism that the change in the supervising ministry or the parliamentary standing committee overseeing the four institutes would reduce expertise was merely an excuse. It was unreasonable to incorporate the four institutes, which require long-term support and development, into a 'special account' that is temporary and abolished after achieving its purpose, especially since their founding purposes are completely different.
In particular, the biggest grievance of the four institutes was that, unlike general universities, their focus is on research and development (R&D), and the budget allocation criteria, principles, and direction are entirely different?none of which were considered. If the four institutes were mixed with general universities, even if not initially, it would be obvious that they would be neglected later due to lobbying by local politicians or populism. Anyone familiar with the founding intent of the four institutes to guarantee long-term and stable scientific research and the university education environment would have avoided meddling in this matter.
Nonetheless, the fact that this policy reached the inter-ministerial consultation stage has drawn critical eyes from the science and technology community toward the Presidential Office. There is skepticism about whether the Presidential Office staff, known to be somewhat distant from the research field, is properly playing the role of intermediary. There are also suspicions that political circles owning regional private school foundations tried to use the four institutes as a front to secure large budget support. In fact, one of the biggest beneficiaries of the new special account is local private universities facing crises due to declining student numbers. On the 15th, the Ministry of Economy and Finance announced plans to allocate 500 billion won to support local universities through the special account. Notably, many private school foundation affiliates are concentrated in the core of the current ruling party.
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