Yoon Seok-yeol: "Moon's Nuclear Phase-out, Hastily Pushed by Political Judgment... Guaranteeing Scientific and Technological Neutrality"

Announcement of 5 Major Science Pledges Including National Long-term Research Projects
"Completely Blocking Parachute Appointments to Prevent Disruption of Science and Technology Policies"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, announced his first science pledge, stating that the next government will guarantee the political neutrality of national research institutions and establish standards for expertise. He views the current administration's nuclear phase-out policy as having been implemented based on political rather than scientific judgment and plans to prepare measures to prevent recurrence. Along with this, Yoon proposed establishing a presidential advisory committee to formulate a science and technology strategic roadmap and introducing a ‘long-term research project system’ for science and technology.

On the 8th, at the ‘Science and Technology Will Change the Future of the Republic of Korea’ forum held at the Korea Science and Technology Center, Yoon said, "The Moon Jae-in administration’s nuclear phase-out policy was hastily pushed forward based on political judgment rather than scientific judgment," adding, "We will fundamentally block the government from dispatching parachute appointments to shake science and technology policies." He mentioned this in the context of introducing a ‘national long-term research project system’ to prevent confusion caused by changes in science and technology policies depending on the administration. Yoon added that selected research projects will receive continuous funding even if the administration changes, and the political neutrality of national research institutions will be guaranteed.

Including this, Yoon presented five policies, saying, "I will lead the Republic of Korea to leap forward as a world-leading country in science and technology created for the first time globally." This is the first time Yoon has announced a ‘science pledge’ in addition to regional pledges.

According to the pledge, Yoon plans to create a presidential advisory public-private joint science and technology committee. The committee, composed of researchers, developers, industry experts, and science and technology administrators, will formulate the science and technology strategic roadmap and government policies. Last month, Yoon mentioned ‘sector-specific public-private joint committees’ in his ‘National Administration Plan’ and emphasized that "the president will be at the center of this."

He especially pledged to establish a system that prioritizes support for creative research and issue-focused research. Regarding this, Yoon explained, "The current management method focuses on facilitating audits, so creative and challenging projects often suffer disadvantages," adding, "We plan to reform the research management system to tolerate risk and failure and encourage challenges." By sector, he said research and development funds will be prioritized for solving national challenges such as infectious diseases, fine dust, carbon neutrality, low birthrate, aging, and issues related to competitiveness in materials, parts, and equipment.

He also promised to create an autonomous research environment. He said, "The government will provide support but establish a system that does not interfere and will ensure the objectivity of evaluations." He pledged to design a system to nurture young scientists. The plan includes opening specialized training courses linking universities and companies by technology field. In particular, he said a reward system will be established to help young and emerging researchers grow into mid-career researchers, and customized support will be provided according to career stages, including international training and expansion of national research projects.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.