Korea Attaches Priority to Basic Research

Aims to raise the nation’s R&D outlays to 5 percent of GDP in 2012

The Lee Myung-bak government is pushing ahead with the “577 Strategies,” calling for moving Korea up to the world’s seventh science technology power by 2012, said Kim Young-shik, deputy minister for research and development policy at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST).
Recognizing the importance of R&D investments as the best added value creator, the government aims to raise the nation’s total R&D outlays to 5 percent of GDP in 2012. In particular, the government plans to ramp up the portion of its R&D outlays in the basic and original technology research field from 35.2 percent in 2008 to 46.6 percent in 2011 and 50 percent in 2012, he said.
The following are excerpts of a recent interview between NewsWorld and MEST Deputy Minister Kim on the occasion of the Science Day anniversary.
Question: Will you tell our readers about the significance of Science Day, which falls on April 21, and forthcoming anniversary events?
Answer: The government has been holding diverse events designed to publicize the importance of science and imbue the youth with hopes and dreams of science as Science Day and the Month of Science are observed on April 21 and during all of April.
In particular, science experience booths will be set up in several locations across the nation to inspire inquisitiveness, while fun science experience programs will be demonstrated along with exciting events. Families will be given the opportunity to tour science festivals and experience science technologies. Visitors at a science park will be riveted by the dinosaurs fitted with sensors to make them move as though they are alive, recalling the sensational movie “Jurassic Park.”
An official anniversary ceremony and side events will take place to raise the morale of scientists and technicians and show off their determination to make the nation a science power. The government will award 80 people with orders and other prizes in recognition of their contributions to the development of the science and technology fields, while research outcomes will be displayed at exhibitions. Schools and science-related organizations will hold their own anniversary ceremonies, exhibitions and other events to experience science.
A person’s dream could end up as just a dream, but everyone’s dream could come true. I expect that all of us will make society a healthy and rich one with comfortable lives by dreaming of science.
Q: Will you elaborate on the major tasks the MEST will implement during this year?
A: During 2011, the MEST plans to establish a national R&D strategy and focus on developing the basic science fields and nurturing creative science and technology manpower through a combination of education and science technology.
The government will inaugurate a Presidential Committee on Science and Technology in late March, replacing the non-permanent National Science and Technology Committee, to serve as a control tower of the science and technology field. The new body is designed to strengthen R&D management covering a whole cycle of comprehensive planning of national R&D projects, distribution and coordination of R&D budgets, and evaluation and management.
The government will launch an international science business belt project in April to build a global hub for creating basic science knowledge and nourishing basic science. A committee for promoting the establishment of a basic science research institute will be activated while the site for the construction of the Korea Rare Isotope Accelerator (KoRIA) will be decided.
Education integrating the arts on top of science, technology, engineering and mathematics will be reinforced in the primary and middle school education stage. A Global PhD Scholastic (GPS) system, designed to provide support ranging from undergraduate to national scientists will be built in order to nurture creative science and technology talents. Additionally, the government plans to push ahead with the development of basic and original technologies in the nation’s mainstream fields, steps to ramp up the competitiveness of the domestic atomic power industry, the launch of the multipurpose KOMPSAT-5 satellite slated for between July and August 2011, and the establishment of national satellite management and utilization systems as part of its efforts to expand future growth potential.
Q: Will you explain the current status and plans for developing the space industry?
A: Space technology is comprised of several high-tech system technologies in interdisciplinary science fields, which has spillover effects for the development of other fields, but it needs to develop technology on its own due to the stringent regulation of technology transfer.
Korea is striving to put its own satellites in orbit, commensurate with its standing as an IT power, and to develop space technology. The United States, China and other countries are engrossed in securing space technology that inspires pride in their people and raises their national standing beyond its economic benefits.
The nation launched a space development plan with the development of the micro-satellite series, Uribyol and the Korea Science Rocket in the early 1990s. In the past 20 years, eight satellites and three rockets have been developed.
The government enacted a law governing the promotion of space development in 2005 and is trying to secure space technology in accordance with the national space development promotion master plan, which was established in 2007. It began to implement a project to develop basic core space technology so as to nurture space experts in 2009.
Korea plans to develop the Korea Satellite Launch Vehicle (KSLV)-II by diversifying its collaboration with advanced countries on the basis of experiences related to the two launches of Naro, Korea’s first satellite launch vehicle.
Q: Will you tell us about the government’s regulatory roles in the ensuring safety and control of nuclear power, which emerges as the nation’s newest export industry?
A: Nuclear power emerges as the most realistic solution to coping with such pending issues as crude oil price hikes and climate change. But in the case that a nuclear power plant accident takes place, it would have a great impact on the earth, so it is an imperative to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities.
The MEST has issued permits and licenses after scrutinizing all processes ranging from design to construction and operation, while conducting thorough checks and safety management steps according to the guidelines on the operation of the existing nuclear power units.
In order to nurture nuclear power as an exporting industry, Korea will have to secure the safety of nuclear power facilities and the transparency of nuclear materials.
The government fully abides by the Nuclear Safety Convention and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in which Korea has joined to ensure the international safety of nuclear power. Korea follows international regulations including the protection of organizations handling radioactive materials from terrorist attacks and other threats, the provision of support for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s inspection into radioactive materials and controls on importing and exporting nuclear power goods that can be diverted to military use.
There are 21 nuclear power units in operation in Korea, accounting for 31 percent of the nation’s electricity production and contributing to stabilizing prices and developing the economy. Korea has risen to the world’s sixth biggest nuclear power country by developing its homegrown nuclear power plants, the multipurpose research reactor, HANARO (High-flux Advanced Neutron Application Reactor) and the small- and midsized reactor SMART (System-integrated Modular Advanced Reactor).
Making the most of these achievements, I’m very happy for Korea to begin exporting nuclear power abroad as the nation’s newest growth engine. In the years to come, the government plans to apply the use of nuclear power to diagnosis and treatment of cancers, the improvement of foods and nondestructive inspections.
Q: Will you introduce the Nano Korea Exhibition slated for October?
A: The MEST and the Ministry of Knowledge Economy have jointly hosted the Nano Korea Exhibition annually since 2003. Nano Korea Exhibition 2011, the ninth one, is to be held at KINTEX, north of Seoul, from Aug. 24-26. More than 50 globally recognized experts from nine countries, including Konstantin Novoselov, a Nobel prize-winning professor from the University of Manchester, UK, are expected to participate in a seminar, which will coincide with the exhibition. About 400 companies from 15 countries will likely set up about 550 booths, serving as an opportunity to promote international collaboration in the nanotechnology field and accelerate technology convergence.
Q: Will you explain the current status and plans for Korea’s investments in the science and technology R&D fields?
A: I bet it’s significant to expand R&D investments from the perspective of an industrial virtuous cycle. Recognizing the importance of R&D investments as the best added value creator, the government aims to raise the nation’s total R&D outlays to 5 percent of GDP in 2012. In particular, the government plans to ramp up the portion of its R&D outlays in the basic and original tech research fields from 35.2 percent in 2008 to 46.6 percent in 2011 and 50 percent in 2012.
These efforts resulted in helping Korea rank seventh in the size of R&D outlays and third in terms of the portion of R&D investments of GDP. Korea saw the government’s R&D budget surge from 2.9 trillion won in 1998, 6.7 trillion won in 2005, and 13.7 trillion won in 2010 to 14.9 trillion won in 2011.
Q: Will you tell us about the purpose and key points of the latest reorganization of the ministry?
A: The MEST concluded reorganization in February to link education and science technology, and to efficiently support the implementation of major tasks announced in its 2011 business plan.
The reorganization calls for establishing the functions of a Presidential Committee on Science and Technology in keeping with the revision of the Framework Plan on Science and Technology and the special law on the planned science business belt for the seamless implementation of the project, among other things.
The MEST’s overall science and technology policy planning and coordination are being handed over to the newly-inaugurated Presidential Committee on Science and Techmology, while the MEST’s science and technology functions have been reshaped into R&D and the development of science technology talents. University-related duties, which have so far been spread among many departments, have been merged into the University Support Office, which has a newly-inaugurated director-general in charge of industry-campus collaboration designed to nurture world-class junior colleges and universities for leading industry-academy collaboration.
Q: Will you introduce the government’s mid- and long-term science and technology development strategies?
A: The Lee Myung-bak government is pushing ahead with the “577 Strategies,” calling for moving Korea up to the world’s seventh science technology power. It focuses on the development of the technologies of the mainstay industries that serve as breadwinners; technologies for creating new industries; space and nuclear power and other national leading technologies; technologies to address global issues facing mankind; and infrastructure and convergence technologies that have economic and social spill-over effects by 2012 with the goal of becoming the world’s seventh science technology power. It is concentrating on the development of original technologies, as technology availability tends to be short-lived.
Last December, the government unveiled the “Science Technology Future Vision” with the goal of rising to the world’s number five science technology power by 2040 when today’s youth become the nation’s leaders. To this end, it established strategies to develop 25 future core technologies. nw

Kim Young-shik, deputy minister for research and development policy at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology

- Photo by courtesy of NewsWorld