Deputy Minister of Industry: "Support Measures for STEM Researchers in the First Half of the Year... Will Prevent Talent Drain"

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee] The government will establish a system in the first half of this year to cultivate high-level talent in advanced technology fields such as semiconductors.

Jang Young-jin, the 1st Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, held a press conference at the Government Sejong Complex on the 27th and stated, "We will prepare morale-boosting measures and practical support systems for science and engineering researchers at corporate-funded research institutes within the first half of the year."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Vice Minister Jang said, "The new government announced a plan to train 150,000 semiconductor personnel by 2031, but recently there has been a noticeable trend of semiconductor department admittees choosing medical school instead."

He added, "We are preparing measures to improve university education conditions and treatment in cooperation with semiconductor companies, and to support lifelong professionalization by maintaining capabilities even after retirement," explaining, "Fundamentally, this phenomenon occurs because there is insufficient treatment for science and engineering graduates."

Vice Minister Jang stated, "This phenomenon occurs due to insufficient treatment for science and engineering graduates," and added, "We will expand practical support systems that allow science and engineering researchers to conduct the research they want, whether in companies or schools, and to more easily transfer or commercialize their work."

Meanwhile, Vice Minister Jang explained that from the 15th to the 17th, he met with key officials from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the White House in Washington D.C., requesting the U.S. to announce the sub-regulations of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in March, and received a positive response.

Regarding the semiconductor law guardrail provision that prohibits companies receiving U.S. government subsidies from building advanced semiconductor factories in China, he said, "We explained that the investment is not made in China with subsidies from the U.S., but that revenue earned in China is used to fund investments in the U.S., and conveyed our position that an extension of the exemption for semiconductor export controls to China is necessary."

He added, "If there is a need to invest in China, the semiconductor investment subsidies received from the U.S. government can be returned, and if demand in the China region is greater than in the U.S., companies may choose not to apply for subsidies," and said, "We are respecting individual companies' decisions and are in discussions with the U.S. side, expecting results within the first half of the year."

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