President Lee Jae-myung on the 20th attended the commencement ceremony at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon and emphasized, "There will never be a case where research stops because of a lack of money."
In his congratulatory remarks at the KAIST commencement that afternoon, Lee said, "Our administration is putting all its efforts into restoring the research ecosystem that collapsed due to R&D budget cuts," adding, "The bold move to increase the basic research budget by more than 17% so that early-career researchers can focus on their work to their hearts' content is the greatest achievement of our administration."
He continued, "Whether it is a startup from a laboratory or an unknown theory the world has yet to imagine, it does not matter," and said, "Trust the government and take on challenges to your heart's content. We will invest generously in the brilliant future and possibilities you will open."
Referring to the KAIST AI college set to launch next month, Lee said, "It will be an important foundation for realizing the vision of becoming one of the world's top three powers in artificial intelligence," adding, "We will spare no national support so that the fruits of artificial intelligence are spread evenly across society." He added, "The government will be a reliable partner and sponsor so that no difficulty can break your courage."
After finishing his congratulatory remarks, Lee stepped down from the podium and shook hands or exchanged high-fives with KAIST graduates. He was also seen actively responding to selfie requests. Two years ago, during former President Yoon Suk-yeol's term, this was where a graduate protested the government's R&D budget cuts during a congratulatory speech and a security officer covered the graduate's mouth and dragged the person out in what became known as the "mouth-covering" incident.