[Insight & Opinion] Restoring the Honor of Scientists and Doctors Is More Urgent Than AI

As the presidential election heats up, more candidates are showing interest in science and technology. For science and technology, which have been powerless under the weight of ideological fandoms and reckless populism, this is a welcome and grateful development. However, the attention of the presidential candidates is focused entirely on artificial intelligence (AI). Going all-in on AI cannot be our sole historical mission. We must completely free ourselves from the illusion left behind after China's DeepSeek cooled the United States' dominance two years ago when it succeeded in developing ChatGPT.

Becoming one of the "top three AI powerhouses" after the United States and China is a common dream among the presidential candidates. There is also intense interest in so-called "super-gap technologies," such as semiconductors, biotechnology, and space, which the Yoon Suk-yeol administration has prioritized. Some candidates even mention "super-gap science and technology," a term with no clear definition. They deliberately ignore the fact that the K-neologism "super-gap" (super-gap), which first appeared in Samsung Electronics' management strategy, and the concept of the "top three powerhouses" are mutually incompatible oxymorons.

Some candidates promise investments of 200 trillion won, claiming that even 100 trillion won is not enough, and propose establishing AI graduate schools at regional national universities to foster top-tier talent. They even tout ambiguous concepts such as an "AI-based society" and "super-gap science and technology," and emphasize "Korean-style ChatGPT" and "K-NVIDIA."

Amid this feast of grandiose rhetoric, the candidates' genuine visions for the future are nowhere to be found. No one explains how such massive investments will be secured or how the funds will be used. They also deliberately ignore the semiconductor industry's urgent request to ease the 52-hour workweek in order to secure the necessary development workforce immediately.

There is no genuine concern for scientists in the R&D field, who have grown weary of science and technology pledges that fluctuate wildly with every change of administration since democratization. Scientists find it difficult to welcome science and technology pledges that pursue only empty fantasies. Hollow science and technology pledges have sometimes turned into "poison." This was the case with the participatory government's "science and technology-centered society," as well as "green economy," "creative economy," "nuclear phase-out," and "science for the people."

The situation of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, which aspired to become a "science and technology president remembered in history," has been even more dire. Scientists have been reduced to "predatory cartels (bandits)," and doctors and medical students have been condemned as irredeemable "devils." The R&D field has become devastated, and even the belatedly expanded global international cooperation projects lost their way after the U.S. Department of Energy designated Korea a "country of concern." Medical education has come to a halt, and the medical field has become chaotic. The world-class K-medical system collapsed irreversibly in an instant. Appointments in the science and technology sector have also ended in disaster.

Now, science and technology pledges must decisively break away from the outdated catch-up model and transform into an advanced and creative model that meets the demands of 21st-century science and technology society. We must boldly move beyond the narrow view of science and technology as merely a means of economic development. The anti-science and technology sentiment that claims science and technology make society and the environment more dangerous must also be thoroughly eradicated.

We must firmly reject subpar, shaman-like "polifessors" who hover around the presidential race like moths to a flame. The tyranny of "professors' associations" at prestigious universities, seeking social attention by leveraging their school's name, must not be tolerated. The scientific community must regain its lost honor and join forces to revive faltering democracy and the national economy.

Lee Deokhwan, Professor Emeritus at Sogang University, Chemistry and Science Communication

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