Gu Hyuk-chae, the Vice Minister of Science and ICT, said on the 15th that he aims to quickly restore the domestic research environment, which has been weakened by cuts to the research and development (R&D) budget, and to focus policy efforts on securing core talent that will lead the future.
On the same day, Vice Minister Gu met with reporters at the Government Sejong Center and noted, "The research field has been devastated due to a decrease in R&D budgets over the past few years," and emphasized, "It is more important than anything else to quickly restore and recover from these difficulties."
He particularly added, "The budget needs to be secured quickly, and research projects must be expanded," stating, "Based on this, other research can also be conducted."
Vice Minister Gu continued, "Fields that have undergone significant changes, such as basic research and first-time research, must also be rapidly restored," explaining, "While this is important at the R&D level, it is deeply related to the nurturing of scientific and technological talent."
He remarked, "It seems that the number of graduate and doctoral students in science and engineering will decrease from this year," and stated, "Nurturing core talent is not something that can be accomplished in a short period; it requires looking ahead at least 20 years." He also noted, "We need to consider the influx of overseas talent and the re-education of personnel from other fields," adding, "There must be a more precise and long-term talent nurturing plan. We will pay a lot of attention to this area."
Meanwhile, Vice Minister Gu also presented directions for major scientific and technological advancements. He stated, "Quantum technology and advanced biotechnology are closely linked to artificial intelligence (AI)," and remarked, "It is urgent to strongly support the spread of AI technology and discover new industrial areas."
Vice Minister Gu also mentioned, "The new Minister needs a public forum to hear opinions from the scientific community, industry, and academia," and said, "If given the opportunity, I would also like to actively utilize a platform to communicate directly with the research field."