"That's Excellent, Worth Considering"... President Lee Praises China's Science Policy

President Lee Jae Myung Praises China's "Academician" System
Suggests Korea Should Consider Similar Support for Scientists

President Lee Jae Myung is holding the 1st plenary meeting of the National Science and Technology Advisory Council at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 22nd. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 22nd, President Lee Jae Myung listened to a briefing on China's preferential policy for scientists, the "Academician" system, and commented, "It's excellent," adding, "It's really worth considering." When told that basic science is like a goose that lays golden eggs, President Lee pointed out, "Korea doesn't even raise the goose at all."

President Lee presided over the plenary meeting of the National Science and Technology Advisory Council at the Yongsan Presidential Office for about two hours starting at 10 a.m. on this day. The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yoon Cheol, along with other government officials and advisory and review committee members from the private sector and academia. Both the meeting and the review process were broadcast live.

Kim Ji Hyun, professor of Systems Biology at Yonsei University and chair of the review committee, explained, "China has the Academician system," adding, "They are scientists recognized by the state, and they are given a two-story house on campus." She continued, "They are guaranteed research for life, their protocol rank is just below the mayor, and they are provided with a dedicated vehicle," evaluating, "National R&D can be built around Academicians as star players."

In response, President Lee mentioned that it is worth considering as a career program. He also suggested the potential for policy implementation, saying, "The budget size is not that large."

Professor Kim remarked, "If the state designates a scientist and gives them an incentive of just 100 million won in addition to their salary, why would anyone want to become a celebrity? Becoming a scientist would be easier than becoming a celebrity," she said critically. President Lee agreed, saying, "That really seems to be the case." Professor Kim added, "When I was young, if you asked children about their dreams, half would say scientist and half would say president. I hope such an era will return."

Professor Kim Hyun Jung of Sogang University criticized President Lee, saying, "Basic science can actually become the goose that lays golden eggs, but we can't even think about the golden eggs, and it's hard even to get the goose to lay eggs." President Lee replied, "We don't even raise the goose at all," to which Professor Kim added, "It's even hard to feed the goose."