[Insight & Opinion] The Predatory Interest Cartel Must Be Resolved Politically

A sudden massive bomb exploded in the science and technology sector. Abruptly, the national research and development projects were branded with the scarlet stigma of a ‘predatory interest cartel,’ and scientists were reduced to ‘vested interest groups’ whose souls were stolen by dividing and sharing research funds. An influential vice minister was immediately appointed to lead the war against the interest cartel. Next year’s budget plan is being reconsidered from zero base, and a high-intensity audit of the Ministry of Science and ICT by the Board of Audit and Inspection is underway.

The Ministry of Science and ICT, entrusted with the president’s special order, has fallen into internal strife. There is no sign of a full-scale move to start the war against the interest cartel. The only thing proposed in next year’s budget is a 20% cut in subsidies to 25 government-funded research institutes and an increase in the proportion of international cooperation. In fact, it is uncertain whether the Ministry of Science and ICT, which had been solely focused on semiconductor workforce development until now, can even prepare a new budget plan for next year at this late stage. The presence of the Innovation Headquarters, which is supposed to have the cross-ministerial oversight function for research and development budgets, has completely disappeared.

Even in the splendid inaugural speech of Vice Minister Cho Seong-gyeong, who was appointed as the field army commander, there is no sense of the realistic urgency emphasized by the president. The speech contains only hollow claims that ‘revolutionary decisions’ and ‘courageous actions’ are needed to overcome this ‘grave period.’ What is more worrisome is the outdated perception of research and development projects embedded in the inaugural speech. The assertion that the core of national research and development projects is ‘training scientific and technological talent,’ that scientists should ‘embody’ the world’s best achievements overseas, and that domestic facilities and equipment should be provided for young researchers is clearly an outdated ‘catch-up’ paradigm.

The response of the science and technology community to the president’s stern remarks is also disappointing. If they agree with the president’s criticism, they should issue a public message containing a heartfelt apology and reflection on the predatory acts so far, along with a pledge and measures to prevent recurrence. This is because arbitrarily dividing and sharing precious taxpayers’ money is an absolutely unacceptable criminal act under any circumstances.

Even if the president’s criticism stems from excessive concern or a misunderstanding, the situation is the same. Such concerns and misunderstandings are shameful enough for scientists to bear. If neither of these applies, at the very least, they should pretend to look into which practices in the science and technology community have been perceived as a predatory interest cartel. Shifting the heavy burden of cuts and adjustments due to the sudden budget review entirely onto the staff and watching from the sidelines like a bystander is a cowardly act unbefitting scientists who are responsible for the nation’s future.

However, the identity of the ‘predatory interest cartel’ pointed out by the president is not clear at all. It might be possible to call the political stakes firmly planted by the previous administration a cartel. Even so, it is absolutely unacceptable to indiscriminately label all scientists as troublemakers.

Of course, the possibility that research misconduct, including the distribution of research funds, still exists cannot be denied. The public vividly remembers the Hwang Woo-suk scandal, fake papers, fake academic conferences, and lab bullying. Efforts to eradicate research misconduct, which the public cannot tolerate, must never be neglected. However, the foolish mistake of completely driving out a world-renowned expert in the field of gene editing from the national research and development projects can no longer be tolerated.

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