"Researchers Branded as Cartel... Shamans Who Don't Know the Field"

President Yoon's Single Remark Triggers National R&D Budget Reallocation
Researchers Boiling Over to Vent at Discussion on the 18th

"To label researchers who work day and night out of patriotism as corrupt groups or cartels is the act of a quack who knows nothing about the field running amok."

On the morning of the 18th, a forum on the government's policy for reallocating the national research and development (R&D) budget was held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, hosted by the office of Assemblyman Jo Seung-rae of the Democratic Party of Korea.

This is the atmosphere conveyed by an official from a government-funded research institute on the 18th. Since President Yoon Seok-yeol's directive at the end of last month to reallocate the national research and development (R&D) budget, follow-up measures have been imposed on 25 public research institutes including government-funded research institutes, causing widespread confusion. There are also reports that researchers, who have been slandered as corrupt groups or cartels, are outraged.

In this regard, voices of condemnation were loud at a forum hosted by Rep. Cho Seung-rae of the Democratic Party of Korea held on the same day. Lee Ewhak, Senior Vice Chairman of the Science and Technology Research Specialized Union, claimed that the Ministry of Science and ICT ordered government-funded research institutes to submit a unified plan for a 20% cut in R&D budgets and the establishment of new international cooperation projects as follow-up measures to President Yoon’s directive. He also revealed that the Ministry of Economy and Finance notified each government-funded research institute of cuts in operating expenses ranging from 0.3% to as much as 26.7%. He particularly pointed to a luncheon with senior figures in the science and technology community on November 30 last year as the background for President Yoon’s directive. At that luncheon, concerns were raised about the piecemeal allocation of the R&D budget, and subsequently, a TFT led by officials from the Ministry of Economy and Finance was formed and operated at the Yongsan Presidential Office earlier this year. The outcome of this has led to President Yoon’s 'cartel' remarks and the follow-up measures.

Accordingly, researchers’ dissatisfaction poured out at the forum. An official from a government-funded research institute said, "I heard that the term 'cartel' first came up when the government tried to transfer four major science and technology institutes to the Ministry of Education at the end of last year, but some opposed it." He criticized, "They label it a cartel just because the field’s main actors did not listen to them without gathering opinions from the field. If that is the case, then every specialized field would be a cartel." He added, "There is a need to reform the R&D system, and above all, the bureaucratic system is an urgent task," and argued, "It is a serious problem to portray hardworking researchers as problematic people." Regarding President Yoon’s emphasis on strengthening international cooperation, he said, "It should be a win-win situation, but if you try to do it hastily without considering various conditions, you might get scammed," and added, "There is talk that quacks who do not understand the field are running amok."

Another participant said, "I have never heard the term 'cartel' before. Isn’t a cartel when powerful people gather and make secret deals? Researchers are cutting budgets as the Ministry of Economy and Finance orders." He argued, "It is not a matter of a few hundred million won, but the field sees this act of breaking their pride again as something intolerable."

Yet another participant criticized the budget cuts and President Yoon’s call for strengthening international cooperation. He explained, "Research funds need to be given at least a year or more in advance to allow for adjustments," and said, "If done suddenly like this, important research inevitably gets delayed." He continued, "I have experience with international cooperation, and it is not something that can be done just by saying so; mutual trust must be established to some extent for give-and-take to be possible," and pointed out, "If told to do it suddenly, only a slight increase in cooperation with existing good partners is possible, and it needs to be done more systematically."

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