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Three steps to solve Korea's STEM crisis

Published: 14 Feb. 2025, 00:02

Yoon Seok Jin

The author is a senior research fellow, and former president, of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).

It is almost dizzying looking back on the past decade of rapid advancements in AI. In 2016, AlphaGo shook the world of Go, imprinting AI’s potential into public consciousness. Since then, ChatGPT has revolutionized language models, refining communication between AI and humans. More recently, China’s AI chatbot of DeepSeek has further expanded AI’s horizon by integrating search and reasoning capabilities. AI is shaping technological progress through three major waves — intelligence, creativity and exploration — forming a powerful triad of innovation.

Having spent nearly 40 years in the field of science and technology, I have witnessed numerous challenges, threats, breakthroughs and achievements. Yet, the innovations demonstrated by DeepSeek are among the most formidable. Its CEO, Liang Wenfeng, born in 1985, defied the traditional career-centered approach to talent by emphasizing passion and ability over experience, believing that new ideas drive innovation. Despite failing to generate results in the first six years after its founding, he viewed that period as essential for developing his team’s capabilities.

His team focused on addressing fundamental AI challenges, embracing failure without hesitation and conducting diverse experiments. This philosophy — transforming failures into assets — allowed DeepSeek to build proprietary technology and develop an astonishing AI search engine.

As one of the world’s two largest economies, China continues to foster and support STEM — science, technology, engineering and technology — talent, encouraging them to achieve major success in advanced technology fields. The country has cultivated global giants such as Baidu and Alibaba, and more recently, it has moved beyond a follower’s role, establishing itself as a leader in AI and big data. This achievement is largely attributed to strong government support and the high societal recognition and treatment of STEM professionals.

By contrast, Korea is grappling with a severe shortage of STEM talent due to waning interest in science and engineering fields. The already challenging situation was exacerbated by perplexing cuts in research and development (R&D) budgets, further straining efforts to attract top-tier talent, especially in a system already heavily skewed toward medical fields.

Beyond hiring practices focused excessively on career experience, another issue lies in research institutions’ rigid adherence to formulas of past success in R&D that tends to follow rather than lead. This hinders researchers from unleashing their creative potential. If Korea is to become a leader in technological innovation, the following changes and reforms can no longer be delayed.

First, we must entrust bold research projects to scientists proposing creative challenges while fostering a culture that tolerates failure. Strengthening the link between academia and industry to allow researchers to engage in solving real-world problems will stimulate creative exploration.

The government must also implement robust research support programs free from bureaucratic constraints, backing researchers engaged in innovative pursuits without an overemphasis on short-term success. As seen in Liang's case, R&D should be approached with a long-term perspective, turning even failures into valuable assets. Increased investment in fundamental science and the establishment of evaluation frameworks that prioritize process over outcome are essential.

Second, we must build a research environment that emphasizes autonomy and collaboration rather than top-down management. A “20 percent free time” policy, allowing researchers to pursue independent ideas, could be considered. Additionally, fostering a culture that values ideas regardless of hierarchy will be crucial.

Third, we need to maximize support for Korean researchers to participate in international conferences and overseas training programs. Enhancing institutional support to attract top global talent and investing in international research networks will be key to enabling domestic researchers to compete on the world stage.

The shortage of STEM talent in Korea reflects a broader failure to present a compelling vision that excites future generations. By providing opportunities for challenge and growth, fostering an autonomous and creative research environment and making long-term investments in science and technology, Korea can achieve a new leap forward in the global tech race. The nation must establish its own unique model of innovation.

Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.