Oh Sehoon: "We Will Invest at a National Level in Science and Engineering Talent"

Seoul Unveils "3 NO, 1 YES" Vision for Science and Engineering
No to Tuition, Performance Pressure, and Housing Burden
Yes to Pride in Science and Engineering

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will provide annual scholarships of up to 60 million won to master's and doctoral students in science and engineering fields. To help them focus on research without the pressure of performance, the city will also offer housing. Mayor Oh Sehoon has declared the "Era of Science and Engineering," aiming to shift the supply structure of science and engineering talent-which has been destabilized by the trend toward medical school concentration-toward advanced industries.

On the 25th, during his keynote speech at the "Now Is the Era of Science and Engineering Forum" held at Korea University, Mayor Oh announced the "3 NO, 1 YES" vision, stating, "Seoul will make national-level investments and provide support for artificial intelligence (AI) and science and engineering talent."

On the afternoon of the 25th, Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon visited the Semiconductor Engineering FAB Laboratory at the Jeong Woonoh IT Liberal Arts Hall before attending the "Now Is the Era of Science and Engineering" forum held at Korea University Future Convergence Technology Hall auditorium. He toured the laboratory and took commemorative photos with the officials. Provided by Seoul City.

The "3 NO, 1 YES" vision stands for: ▲No worries about tuition ▲No pressure for results ▲No burden of housing costs ▲Yes to pride in science and engineering. The city will establish the "Future Science and Engineering Scholarship," expanding annual support to 20 million won for master's students, 40 million won for doctoral students, and up to 60 million won for postdoctoral researchers. The "Seoul RISE 10 Challenge" will also be launched, providing research funding for up to 10 years to science and engineering researchers, allowing them to escape performance pressure. To ease the burden of housing, "Science and Engineering Talent Growth Housing" will be supplied, and the "Seoul Scientist Award" will be established to restore respect for scientists.

In 2022, Mayor Oh also announced the "University Urban Planning Support Plan," which included easing regulations such as floor area ratio and height restrictions when establishing facilities within universities. Mayor Oh said, "I was shocked to hear that it takes years to obtain permits from the city to build spaces for educational equipment and laboratories, so as soon as I took office, I instructed that all such regulations be lifted."

The first achievement of this policy is the Jeong Woonoh IT Liberal Arts Hall at Korea University, which opened in February this year. Height restrictions in the natural landscape district were relaxed, allowing the building to expand from the original seven floors to ten. The ceiling height of the top floor was also increased, making it possible to build a state-of-the-art fabrication laboratory (FabLab) for hands-on semiconductor process training. Mayor Oh visited the fabrication laboratory to encourage students working in lab coats and handling equipment. A Korea University official stated, "At the time, there was a desperate shortage of research space for new industries such as AI, robotics, and energy. Fortunately, the city announced the height relaxation policy, which allowed us to add three more floors to the building."

Participants in the forum called for expanded support for researcher salaries. Kim Hyungeun, a graduate student in electronic engineering at Sogang University, said, "Even if we receive the maximum salary cap, after subtracting the average tuition for science and engineering graduate students at private universities, there isn't enough left for living expenses, so research comes with a financial burden." Kim Jaeseung, CEO of Mobiltech, said, "I want to pay researchers more, but that's not possible given our current situation, so it's difficult to recruit and manage talent. Of course, as CEO, I should solve this, but I hope policy measures can also help address these challenges."

On the afternoon of the 25th, Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon delivered the keynote speech at the "Now Is the Golden Age of Science and Engineering" forum held at the Korea University Future Convergence Technology Center auditorium. Photo by Seoul City