Visits Daejeon to Comfort and Encourage Injured Researcher
Returns for a Second Visit After August Hospital Visit and Appointment as Deputy Prime Minister
On October 1, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyunghoon visited a Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) researcher who suffered serious injuries from an explosion and fire in June, marking his first official activity after being appointed Deputy Prime Minister.
According to the scientific community on October 1, Deputy Prime Minister Bae began his term by visiting a researcher in their twenties who was severely injured in a laboratory explosion in June, offering words of comfort. The Ministry of Science and ICT was elevated to a deputy prime minister-level ministry after the amendment to the Government Organization Act was approved at the Cabinet meeting the previous day. As of this day, the Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology system, which was abolished in 2008, has been fully reinstated.
On this day in Daejeon, Deputy Prime Minister Bae reportedly had lunch with the injured researcher and their mother, offering condolences and encouragement. He expressed his sincere sympathy for the serious injuries caused by the explosion and fire and encouraged the researcher to continue their passion and dedication to research despite the difficult circumstances.
Previously, immediately after being nominated as minister, Deputy Prime Minister Bae was informed by a Ministry of Science and ICT official about the KAIST researcher's laboratory explosion accident and personally visited the hospital in August to offer comfort. Observers note that his decision to visit the KAIST researcher as his first official activity after the full implementation of the deputy prime minister system demonstrates his commitment to addressing the situation of the seriously injured researcher and to establishing measures for laboratory research safety.
At a field meeting with university basic researchers held at Chungbuk National University in August, Minister Bae also stated, "Various accidents are occurring in laboratories, and I am seriously considering what is needed in terms of safety education and other necessary measures," indicating his intention to pursue safety measures to prevent laboratory accidents.
An official from the Ministry of Science and ICT said, "Deputy Prime Minister Bae had a meal with the researcher who was injured in the laboratory explosion and offered words of comfort, asking them not to lose hope and passion even in difficult circumstances. As a parent of a daughter, he felt deep sympathy, which is why he met the researcher again after his appointment as deputy prime minister, following his visit in August, to offer further encouragement."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
