The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that the revised 'Special Act on the Promotion of National Strategic Technologies' and its enforcement decree for the protection of information related to national strategic technologies in response to global technological hegemony competition will be implemented starting from August 1.
National strategic technologies are regarded as important technologies from a strategic perspective in areas such as diplomacy and security, national economy and industry, and the creation of new technologies and industries. The government is fostering 12 major fields and 50 detailed key technologies in accordance with the 'Act on the Promotion of National Strategic Technologies'. Following the amendment in January, a new system has been established that requires technology development entities to consult with relevant ministries in advance when foreign governments or other entities request important information related to national strategic technologies, should they wish to provide such information.
According to the revised law, technology development entities must notify the relevant ministries within 60 days when they receive requests for the provision of information related to national strategic technologies from foreign governments or institutions. If they wish to provide the requested information to the foreign government or institution, they must request prior consultation with the relevant ministries within 60 days. If it is difficult for the technology development entity to determine which relevant ministries to notify or request prior consultation, they may notify or request prior consultation from the Minister of Science and ICT. Specific methods are outlined in the enforcement decree (Article 26, Article 26-2) and in a separate form.
The information that must be notified or consulted in advance includes unpublished information related to personnel, research results, management information, etc., among strategic research projects classified as security projects under the 'Act on National Research and Development Innovation'. The ministry that receives the prior consultation request must review the strategic importance in terms of diplomacy, trade, and national security, as well as whether it infringes relevant laws, and inform the technology development entity of the result within 20 days from the date of request. If the result of the prior consultation is not communicated within the period, it is considered that the prior consultation has taken place.
Kang Sang-wook, Director of the Science and Technology Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT, noted, "This revision of the enforcement decree signifies that the state is responsibly managing important information related to national strategic technologies in the context of strengthening technological hegemony competition, and that a system is established to proactively identify and support technology protection when needed. We will strive to ensure the system is established in research fields and contribute to the creation of an ecosystem for fostering and protecting strategic technologies."
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Science and ICT plans to provide guidelines related to notifications and prior consultations and hold explanatory sessions to inform technology development entities and relevant ministries engaged in strategic research projects about the detailed contents of the system. They aim to continuously refine the system through communication with the field.