Increasing Competition for Science and Technology Officer Selection... Master's Degree Holders to Be Recruited Next Year

Ministry of Science and ICT Expands Science and Technology Specialist Officer System to Master's Degree
Plans to Select 50 Candidates Annually Starting Next Year

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 12th that it will recruit the "11th Class of Science and Technology Specialist Officer (Bachelor's) Candidates" from the 19th of this month until September 13th. In January next year, master's candidates who will be commissioned as lieutenants will also be selected.

The Science and Technology Specialist Officer system is designed to allow outstanding science and technology talents to work in the field of defense science and technology during their military service without career interruption. Excellent students in science and engineering are selected and go through a candidate training process, after which they serve as active-duty research and development officers for three years at the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), conducting research and development.

Until now, only bachelor's degree holders commissioned as second lieutenants were selected, but starting January next year, master's degree holders will also be selected and commissioned as lieutenants. The selection scale, which was 25 bachelor's candidates this year, will increase to a total of 50 next year, including 25 bachelor's and 25 master's candidates. Bachelor's candidates will be selected in the second half of the year, and master's candidates in the first half.

Master's candidates will receive a professional competency development allowance of 5.4 million KRW per semester for three semesters after selection to ensure academic and research stability. The existing bachelor's program supported up to 2.5 million KRW per semester for up to four semesters, in addition to tuition fees.

Those selected as Science and Technology Specialist Officer candidates undergo a training process during their university enrollment, including defense science education, entrepreneurship education, on-site training at the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), and participation in defense science research projects to strengthen research and development (R&D) capabilities. After graduation, they undergo eight weeks of military training and are commissioned as research and development officers (Science and Technology Specialist Officers), serving for three years at defense research and development institutions such as the Agency for Defense Development (ADD).

Unlike ROTC and bachelor's officers, whose competition rates are declining, the Science and Technology Specialist Officer program is attracting more applicants. According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, the competition rate, which was 3.16 to 1 in 2021, expanded to 4.24 to 1 last year.

Lee Chang-yoon, the 1st Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "To strengthen defense science and technology capabilities, the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Science and ICT have cooperated to expand the training scale of Science and Technology Specialist Officers," adding, "We hope that outstanding science and engineering talents will challenge themselves to become Science and Technology Specialist Officers and grow into experts leading the development of science and technology."