In Jul., Axel Timmermann, a world-renowned climatologist, stood at the podium of the International Protocol Office at Busan City Hall. That day he was selected as an "honorary citizen" by Busan Metropolitan City. It is not uncommon for a person visiting Korea briefly from abroad to be appointed an honorary citizen. But Timmermann was on a different level from such people. That is because the place where he conducts his research is Busan.
In 2017, Timmermann took office as a distinguished professor at Pusan National University and the inaugural Director General of the Climate Physics Research Center at the Institute for Basic Science, achieving major results in ocean–atmosphere circulation, climate change prediction, and paleoclimate reconstruction. He published 240 papers in leading journals, including Nature and Science, and raised the Climate Physics Research Center to the center of global climate science research. It is no wonder he is called a "Busan person," not a foreign scientist.
When we met Director General Timmermann at Pusan National University 4th, he said, "Busan is a great place to enjoy and relax, with seven beaches and mountains, the sea, and the city all together, and it is also a place where living and research environments are in harmony," adding, "It is an ideal setting to pursue research and daily life together."
He enjoys photography, hiking, and temple visits in Korea. The walls were filled with photos capturing Korea's natural scenery. From the surf breaking at Haeundae, to the serene halls of temples, to valleys so exotic they felt unfamiliar, as his life in Korea entered its eighth year, his research and daily routine were naturally taking root in Busan.
◇ Settling in while wrestling for hours with Korean-language banking apps
Of course, the settlement process was not smooth. He said, "Banking, online services, and administrative procedures are all only in Korean, so at first even small tasks felt daunting," adding, "Just using an online banking app meant turning on Google Translate and wrestling with it, and before I knew it, hours had flown by."
Even basic procedures such as submitting materials to academic societies or handling civil petitions at government offices were high barriers for foreign researchers. He said, "It was harder because I tend to do everything alone," adding, "Thanks to that, I learned how to ask for and rely on help from others."
There were many trials and errors in research as well. In the complex administrative system connecting the Institute for Basic Science, universities, and government ministries, it was not easy for a foreign principal investigator to build a new research center. When introducing a large supercomputer, installation was delayed for months while searching for a space that met building safety requirements. It took a full two years to secure space and a support system suited to the center's size.
He said, "In the end I settled in well, but if there had been an administrative and leadership training system for foreign principal investigators from the start, I could have reduced trial and error," advising, "As at Germany's Helmholtz Association, a system is needed in which a senior professor, upon joining, receives one to two weeks of leadership training on how to face problems, communicate, and consult." He also said, "It is important to institutionalize 'full-package' settlement support that consolidates all matters related to visas, hiring, housing, and medical care."
◇ The research system is world-class … shifting government policies are unsettling
Even so, he gave high marks to the strengths of the Institute for Basic Science system. Director General Timmermann said, "It is a rare global advantage that long-term and large-scale support for basic science research is guaranteed." Even compared with Germany's Max Planck Institute, he said the Institute for Basic Science is distinctive in guaranteeing autonomy over research topics.
He also clearly pointed out the limits. He said, "At the Max Planck Institute, those in charge make their own decisions, and there is no separate government oversight, which can enhance creativity," adding, "Because the Institute for Basic Science is under government oversight, it is unsettling when policy directions change each time. An independent structure is needed."
In particular, he pointed out problems with the evaluation system. He said, "This year, too, I underwent the eighth-year evaluation," adding, "Basic science requires a long horizon, and if evaluations are repeated this frequently, researchers become anxious." In other words, what matters most is a stable environment that allows researchers to work with a long-term perspective.
Jasper Wassenburg, a researcher in Director General Timmermann's lab, also said that day, "We do receive funding from the Young Scientist Fellowship (YSF) at the Institute for Basic Science to foster young scientists, but every time Korea's research and development (R&D) budget and systems change, we cannot help but be concerned."
◇ We should embrace them as "international researchers," not "foreigners"
According to statistics from the Korea Immigration Service Institute, among foreign researchers who obtained stay status in 2010, 66.5% left Korea within five years. The figure is 13.4% within five to ten years and only 19.6% for 10 years or more. Compared with the 65% share of temporary visa holders with Ph.D. degrees who stay for more than 10 years in the United States as of 2021, this means that most foreign researchers who come to Korea end up staying only a short period.
As Director General Timmermann approaches 10 years in Korea, what did he feel is most needed to attract foreign researchers? Without hesitation, he chose "what we call them." Timmermann said, "We should call them international researchers, not foreigner researchers." He said, "The word 'foreigner' defines us only as visitors who will leave at any time," adding, "It is as rude as inviting someone to your home and asking, 'When are you leaving?'"
He also pointed out structural challenges in Korea's scientific community. Gender inequality is one of them. Director General Timmermann said, "We live in the 21st century, but the gender balance of the scientific community seems stuck in the Joseon era," adding, "The gender-unequal situation can leave a negative impression of Korea's research sector."
Director General Timmermann also said active promotion is needed to raise the international standing of Korea's scientific community. He said, "When I introduce the Institute for Basic Science's achievements to European colleagues, they are all surprised," adding, "International success cases" YSF Jiaoyang Ruan also said, "The overall research environment is truly good, but when I ask overseas colleagues, it seems not well known, which is unfortunate."
Director General Timmermann said that even research that seemed specialized and detached from society 30 to 40 years ago can change the world. Blue LEDs (light-emitting diodes), which won the 2014 Nobel Prize in physics, were discoveries slowly accumulated over decades that later transformed industry and daily life, and climate science also started from equations by a handful of researchers and went on to influence international policy. He said, "Science above all needs patient support," adding, "When an environment is in place where international researchers can take on challenges with a long horizon, Korea's science will be able to produce results that change the world."