[Reporter’s Notebook] The Ouster of a Four-Month Chief Secretary Creates a Void in Science Policy

The scientific community is unsettled as Park Sang-wook, the Presidential Office's Chief Secretary for Science and Technology, has tendered his resignation following the defeat in the 22nd general election. If the 'rookie' chief secretary, appointed just four months ago, steps down as part of the Presidential Office staff's collective responsibility, it would be seen as another instance of neglect toward science. A senior official from the Ministry of Science and ICT expressed concern, saying, "If the inaugural Chief Secretary for Science and Technology, who has only recently started his duties, is forced out like this, it could create another gap in fostering the science sector."

On the 11th, the day before, Chief Secretary Park, along with other senior secretaries of the Presidential Office, submitted his resignation to President Yoon Suk-yeol. This decision was made to participate in the President's efforts to reform the government following the 22nd general election defeat. Park's resignation came just 77 days after his appointment.

Since taking office, Chief Secretary Park has worked to restore trust within the scientific community, including promising a significant increase in the research and development (R&D) budget. Shortly after his appointment, at the end of January, his first field visit was to attend a meeting of the Science and Technology Advisory Committee held at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology in Daejeon. He expressed his ambition, stating, "I will play a good role between the government and the science and technology sector so that the President can become a successful science president." In a meeting with reporters covering the Ministry of Science and ICT, he also said, "I am not afraid of a tremendous increase in next year's R&D budget."

The crisis felt by the scientific community does not end with Park's resignation. With a full-scale cabinet reshuffle underway, the Minister of Science and ICT is also being considered for replacement, raising concerns about policy gaps.

Changing those responsible for science policy must take into account the impact on the scientific community. Given the lingering aftereffects of R&D budget cuts, active and forceful support policies are needed to soothe dissatisfaction in the field. The Korean-style stipend program, which provides research living scholarships to science and engineering graduate students participating in government R&D projects, should be advanced with a sense of urgency. The voices from the field say that support limited to presidential scholarships for master's and doctoral students in science and engineering is insufficient. Lee Deok-hwan, an emeritus professor at Sogang University and a senior figure in the scientific community, stated, "We must not ignore the task of organizing the R&D policies hastily overhauled by the National Assembly so far."

Science and technology are directly linked to future growth engines. Imposing political responsibility on policy officials does not help the development of science and technology.