Lee Jae-myung, the president, said on the 12th that "to become a leader in the future advanced technology industry, the nation must invest far more capacity in education and research and development than before."
At the "seven SEEDs for future growth" briefing chaired at the Blue House that day, Lee said, "We must become a 'leader' that gets ahead of other countries in future advanced industries rather than playing catch-up."
The seven SEEDs are areas the government intends to intensively foster as future growth engines, meaning small modular reactors (SMRs) and nuclear fusion, renewable energy, quantum, space and aviation, advanced bio, and advanced materials and components. The briefing was arranged to discuss concrete plans to cultivate these fields.
Lee Hyun-jun, a third-year student at Seoul Science High School and the world No. 1 in the math olympiad, who attended the briefing, said, "I like math and science and want to pursue a career in that direction, but I worry in practical terms about whether I can truly live a satisfying life as a researcher," adding, "Please create rewards befitting researchers and an environment where research can proceed stably."
Lee, in turn, mentioned the "national scientist system," saying, "What worries me is that, although it has eased over the past year or two, students with aptitude in the sciences and strong capabilities are flocking to what are considered stable, well-paying fields." He added, "Capable students are crowding into certain majors, and we need to overhaul the system so that does not happen."
In particular, Lee said, "The most serious problem and task in Korea right now is the concentration in the capital area," pointing out that "people think they have to go near Seoul to get jobs, have opportunities for education, and enjoy what is called a decent life." He then introduced the case of Korea Institute of Energy Technology in Naju, South Jeolla Province.
Lee emphasized, "I heard the application rate for the energy tech university was extremely high, and capable higher education institutions are helping revitalize provincial cities." Naju hosts the headquarters and subsidiaries of Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and other energy-related corporations, as well as data corporations, enabling active industry-academia cooperation.
Professor Kim Seung-wan, who attended the briefing, explained, "Although there are difficulties because it is in the provinces, we are producing successful results in admissions, and we are particularly attentive to the salaries of faculty and postdocs. We are offsetting various disadvantages by setting salaries much higher than in other regions."
In addition, KAIST President Bae Choong-sik said, "To become a future powerhouse, we need a base of science and technology talent, and given that a major transition in AI and energy is underway, education itself must move to a completely new mode," adding, "We need labs of a new concept, and we need groundbreaking socio-cultural and policy changes to cultivate talent."
He added, "There are so many regulations within the school itself that we cannot even fly drones. I hope the sandbox (test environment) for conducting preliminary research can be greatly expanded."
Lee responded, "It seems feasible if we designate specific zones, put safety measures in place, and proceed," adding, "Applying regulations too uniformly is constraining research activities. I will see to it that the Regulatory Reform Commitee looks into it."
Earlier, in his opening remarks at the briefing, Lee said, "The seven advanced technologies we will discuss today will be the next-generation growth engine of our economy and the nation's core strategic assets," adding, "We must use the Critical opportunity created by the semiconductor industry to prepare in advance for the next source of growth in the age of artificial intelligence (AI)."