Bill Proposed to Extend Retirement Age to 65 for Research Staff at Science and Technology Institutes

A bill has been proposed to extend the retirement age of researchers at government-funded research institutes in the field of science and technology to prevent interruptions in scholars' research.

On the 18th, Shin Seong-beom, a member of the People Power Party and the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Communications Committee, announced that he had taken the lead in proposing a bill to amend the "Act on the Establishment, Operation, and Promotion of Government-Funded Research Institutes in the Field of Science and Technology" to extend the retirement age in order to prevent the loss of excellent research personnel and create a stable research environment.

Currently, the retirement age for research positions at government-funded research institutes is 61. Separately from the retirement age, these institutes operate a wage peak system according to the "Guidelines on the Management of Public Enterprises and Quasi-Governmental Institutions." As a result, researchers' salaries decrease as they approach retirement age. This is why researchers nearing retirement tend to refrain from active engagement despite their capabilities.

There are also frequent cases of outstanding researchers affiliated with government-funded research institutes moving to universities or overseas research institutions. A representative example is Lee Ki-myung, former vice president of the Institute for Basic Science, a leading physicist in Korea. After retiring in August, he moved to a research institution in China, causing a significant stir.

In advanced countries overseas, there is a trend to extend or abolish the retirement age to retain excellent researchers. The United States and the United Kingdom often place emphasis on researchers' achievements without imposing age limits. In Germany, the retirement age has been extended to 67 or older at research institutes and universities.

In Korea as well, there are cases of re-employing or recruiting researchers or professors who have passed the retirement age. The Korea Institute of Science and Technology recently re-employed Dr. Nam Seok-woo, who had his retirement age extended to 65, and recruited former Korea University professor Lee Gwan-young, who was approaching retirement at Korea University.

Representative Shin Seong-beom said, “We have pushed for this legal amendment to improve working conditions for researchers, prevent the outflow of excellent domestic research personnel overseas, and create a sustainable research environment. If this bill passes, it will greatly help prevent the outflow of domestic science and technology talent and technology.”