[2023 National Audit] Opposition Lawmaker Claims 'Cheong Intervention Theory' Amid R&D Budget Cut Controversy

Sky Lecture Video. (Photo by Seonghwan Kim, Member of the National Assembly, Democratic Party of Korea, captured from National Assembly footage)

At the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) audit held on the 12th by the Industry, Trade, Energy, Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups Committee at the National Assembly, the issue of next year's budget cuts for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) research and development (R&D) emerged as a major point of contention.

During the first questioning session that morning, Jeong Il-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out that while the government's overall R&D budget for next year was cut by 16.6% compared to this year, the R&D budget cut rate for SMEs was even higher at 25.4%. Jeong said, "To support SMEs and move toward the future, R&D investment and research must be conducted," adding, "It is problematic to slash R&D funds so drastically."

Hong Jeong-min, also from the Democratic Party, expressed concerns that the significant R&D budget cuts would cause direct and indirect damage to the venture and startup sectors. Hong criticized Minister Lee Young of MSS, saying, "How can you call the market a venture investment enthusiast after cutting the R&D budget by as much as 450 billion won next year?" He added, "The R&D budget for startup growth technology development was cut by 94.4%, and the global startup technology development R&D budget was completely eliminated; all these budgets are connected to ventures and startups." He further stated, "R&D support for early-stage companies drives technological innovation in ventures and startups and sends positive signals to the market. Cutting the budget like this and sending negative signals to the market is extremely dangerous."

Kim Seong-hwan, another Democratic Party member, even suggested a 'Cheongong intervention theory' regarding the MSS R&D budget cuts. During his questioning of Minister Lee, Kim displayed a lecture video image of Cheongong on the screen. In the video, Cheongong claimed, "Our country does not need scientists," and said, "If you look at reports diligently researched and submitted in the West, they are already scientists."

Kim said, "Many citizens suspect that the R&D budget cuts began after the president, influenced by Cheongong, spoke about the so-called 'R&D cartel crackdown' at the National Fiscal Strategy Meeting held on June 28," and asked, "What does the minister think about the uniform 25% cut regardless of the necessity of the projects?" In response, Minister Lee said, "The discussion about improving R&D is an agenda that is more than 10 years old," adding, "The goal is not to reduce the R&D budget but to reform the R&D execution system, which is a necessary situation."

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