[Launch of the Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology System]② Elevation Alone Is Not Enough... Fast-Track Needed for Ministers' Meetings, Public-Private Gap Must Be Bridged

Strengthening Coordination Authority Is Essential to Avoid Becoming a Mere Figurehead
Fast-Track Systems and Contingency Funds Needed for Swift Response
"Execution Capability Will Determine Success or Failure"

Paik Kyunghoon, Minister of Science and ICT. 2025.8.20 Photo by Kim Hyunmin

With the reinstatement of the position of Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology after 17 years, the scientific and industrial communities have attributed symbolic significance to the move, viewing it as a reinforcement of the status of science and technology. However, concerns have been raised that if real authority is not guaranteed, this could simply amount to a change in nameplate with no substantive impact. As the private sector moves at breakneck speed while the government lags behind, there are growing voices that the leadership in policy design and execution has become hollow. Accordingly, there are calls for the Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology to take a much stronger leadership role.

The scientific community advises that lessons should be learned from past experiences. The Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology system was first introduced under the Roh Moo-hyun administration. During the tenure of Deputy Prime Minister Oh Myung, meetings of relevant ministers were so influential that they were dubbed “the meetings with the highest attendance rate.” At that time, a proposal to grant budgetary authority to the Ministry of Science and Technology for greater efficiency was accepted by the presidential office, leading to the establishment of the Office for Science and Technology Innovation. This office was tasked with allocating and coordinating cross-ministerial research and development (R&D) budgets, and its coordinating power was effectively exercised.

However, the actual “hands and feet” of the R&D budget were controlled not by the Ministry of Science and Technology but by the fiscal authorities, with the Ministry of Economy and Finance maintaining its influence by pre-allocating “ceilings” for each ministry. It was also common for the head of the Office for Science and Technology Innovation to be filled by someone from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Over time, the system became increasingly subject to fiscal logic and lost its strength. The Hwang Woo-suk scandal in 2005, as well as shifts in governance due to the National Science and Technology Council and the Creative Economy initiative, weakened policy consistency. The Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology system was abolished with the launch of the Lee Myung-bak administration in 2008.

For this reason, there are concerns that if the Office for Science and Technology Innovation within the Ministry of Science and ICT does not gain real authority to independently allocate and coordinate budgets, the effectiveness of the Deputy Prime Minister system could be only partial. In particular, the key issue is how much actual budget coordination power the Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology will have.

The “speed” of procedures is also crucial. Kwon Jaecheol, a research fellow at the Korea Technology Commercialization Promotion Agency who previously served as a policy advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, suggested, “A fast-track system should be established so that agenda items can be organized at regular meetings of relevant ministers, approved by the president, and then immediately sent to the fiscal strategy meeting.” Currently, even if the Ministry of Science and ICT plans a policy, it must pass through multiple steps-review by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Cabinet meetings, and budget formulation-during which priorities may change or budgets may be cut. If a fast-track system is put in place, the process would be streamlined into a linear structure of meeting → presidential approval → budget reflection, reducing the risk of priorities being reversed at the Ministry of Economy and Finance stage.

There are also discussions about itemizing an “R&D contingency fund” to enable rapid responses to emerging technologies, talent recruitment, and infrastructure bottlenecks that arise throughout the year, with the idea that such expenditures could be executed in the current year and then incorporated into the main budget for the following year. The underlying concept is to “start solving problems in the year they arise.”

However, above all, competence is essential to support authority. A senior official at the Ministry of Science and ICT lamented, “The private sector is already innovating at a rapid pace, but the government has become weak in presenting blueprints and driving initiatives. The Ministry of Science and ICT is losing its role as the architect of the national technology blueprint.” Research fellow Kwon pointed out, “The scale of national R&D investment is 100 trillion won, with 70% of it executed by the private sector. However, the flow of private R&D funds to universities or government-funded research institutes is weak.” He continued, “According to the Korea Industrial Technology Association, there are as many as 40,000 corporate research centers, but we do not even have a clear grasp of what kind of research they are conducting. The Deputy Prime Minister should strengthen the bridge between private and public research.”

The role of the Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology is expected to become even more prominent in the field of artificial intelligence. Alongside the “National AI Strategy,” the ability to rapidly implement various supporting measures will be required. Even if tens of thousands of advanced graphics processing units (GPUs) are secured, they cannot be fully utilized unless issues such as power supply, cooling, cluster operation capabilities, and university equipment procurement regulations are resolved.

Bottlenecks also arise because research labs are unable to acquire equipment in a timely manner due to complicated reviews and administrative procedures for purchases exceeding tens of millions of won. Only when power supply for data centers is expanded, campus DC infrastructure is improved, and procurement regulations for large research equipment are revised simultaneously, will hardware investments translate into research productivity.

A representative from the AI industry noted that the elevation of the Deputy Prime Minister position does not guarantee immediate change, but added, “There must be more promotion policies than regulations, and above all, talent strategy is the most important.” He emphasized, “Korea needs to deliver a strong message about what kind of talent it requires and how it will foster such talent from a long-term perspective, similar to China’s ‘Thousand Talents Plan.’”