The document details the development of science and technology (S&T) in South Korea from the 1960s to 2010, highlighting transformation from an impoverished nation to a global leader in R&D and innovation. It emphasizes investment in human resources, education reforms, and increasing international competitiveness, particularly in technology and science. The Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity (KOFAC) aims to enhance science communication and creativity among youth, promoting involvement through various educational initiatives and public awareness campaigns.

1. The Development S&T and Science Communication
in KOREA
2010. 5
Dr. Yoon CHUNG
President, Korea Foundation
for the Advancement of Science & Creativity
“과학이 문화로, 창의가 희망으로”

2. CONTENTS
1 About Korea
2 The Development of Science &Technology
3 KOFAC and Its Activities
4 Three Prime DIRECTIVES
- Involvement
- Creativity
- Collaboration
5 Vision & Future

3. About KOREA
From an impoverished country in the 60s
to an advanced country in the 21st century
The Seoul Olympic Games World Cup Games G20 Host Country
(1988) (2002) (2010)
OECD Membership GNI per capita
(1996) (World’s 36th)
Gross Domestic Product
(World’s 14th)
Trading Volume
(World’s 11th)
(48 Million Population)
Dynamic country with beautiful mountains, rivers and four distinguished seasons.
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4. About KOREA
Behind its success, there are outstanding human resources &
competitive science & tech
<The IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook>
Area Ranking
Science & • $33.7 Bil. invested in R&D
technology (3.47% of the GDP, world’s 4th highest) Science Infrastructure 3rd
• over 200,000 researchers
reform Higher Education 4th
Employment Rate 6th
• 83.8% go to college
Educational • 115,000 Doc. degree
Merchandise Export 12th
reform - 33,000 from overseas Technological 14th
Infrastructure
• Korea has the latest technologies in
 Information-electronics, ship building, automobiles and steel making industries
• Future-oriented green energy, bio-tech and nano-tech
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5. The development of S&T
• Unique Culture & Science(5,000 years of history)
– A language and characters, Hangul (한글)
• The world’s most outstanding country in industrialization, information and democracy
• Paradigm shift from “Catch up” to “Creative innovation”
• Around 2.5% of world capability (Technology, Industry & Economy)
– A top 10 level country in terms of GDP, Trade and S&T
– Chairing G20 Submit(November. 2010)
• Generating new industries based on excellent human resources and S&T
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6. The development of S&T
Korean S&T System & Policies
Period System • Policies
60’s-70’s • Ministry of Science & Technology
• National Science & Technology Promotion Act
• Government-funded Research Institutes(GRIs)
• First 5-year National Plan for Economic Development
80’s • National Science & Technology Promotion Committee
• GRIs + Private Research Institutes(PRIs)
90’s • Ministry of Information and Communication
• National Science & Technology Council(NSTC)
• Science & Technology Framework Law
• GRIs + PRIs + Universities
• Act for promoting industries oriented technologies
2000 and after• Elevate minister of science and technology to a deputy prime-minister level
• National Technology Road Map(NTRM)
• Long-term plan for green growth, future technology
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7. The development of S&T
Achievements in the Development of the Korean Science & Technology
Period Achievements
60’s-70’s • KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute),
KIST (Korea Institute of Science and Technology)
KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)
• Textiles, Chemicals, Steel
80’s • Technology introduction
• Collaboration between public and private sectors
• Expansion of overseas study, utilization of HR trained in overseas
• Shipbuilding, Automobile, Semiconductor
90’s • National Big Science R&D programs
- Frontier R&D program, Creative Research initiative project
• Patent registrations and SCI publications
• Display, Cellular phone, Nuclear power plant
2000 • Improved R&D investment structure (government : private = 3 : 7)
and after • Self-reliance on nuclear technology (power supply)
• Bio-industry, Green Tech, Hi-Tech electronics
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8. Inviting scientists Studied in overseas (invitation scientists) project (70’s –80’s)
• Developing for heavy industry and R&D
government invited Korean P.h.D scientists from overseas
※ Preferred treatment in salaries, houses, vacations and
independent research activities
• Around 300 researchers between 1968 and 1980
• Deregulating policies of studying overseas since 1980s
• 13 overseas Korean scientist associations (2010)
– Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association (1971)
– Korean-German Scientists and Engineers Association (1973)
The 1st generation in the R&D
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9. The development of S&T
Compatibility of the S&T in Korea (Ⅰ)
• Total National R&D budget (38 billon USD, 2010) : Government + Private
Government R&D Increase rate of R&D
Government R&D annual average 13.3%
14.4 11.4%
Budget(billion USD) 11.9 of 11.8% 10.8%
7.9% 6.9%
10.7 6.4%
9.6 annual
average of
7.1%
2008 2009 2010 2012(Plan) 2008 2009 2010
Increase rate of the total Increase rate of the
government budget (%) R&D budget (%)
Ratio of government R&D investment Prospect of private R&D investment
Ratio of fundamental R&D(%) 11.1%
8.8%
to government R&D investment 8.0%
35.0%
31.3%
29.3%
25.6% 21.8 23.5 26.1
2008 2009(Estimate) 2010(Plan)
2008 2009 2010 2012(Plan) Private R&D (billion USD) Increase rate compared to
last year (&)
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10. The development of S&T
Compatibility of the S&T in Korea(II)
S&T research papers International Patents
7,908
(Public, Private) 35,569 (4th) 6,295
(12th)
(4th)
7,870
(18th)
4 1,891
(53th)
30 288
10
1981 1997 2008 1984 1997 2008
Number of Research Papers (Rank) Number of patents registered
Number of International Patents
in the U.S.
S&T competitiveness (IMD)
2th 3th
6th 6th 5th
8th
12th
14th 14th 7th
10th
13th 14th 14th
17th 17th
21th
24th Competitiveness in Science Competitiveness in Technology
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 8

11. The development of S&T – Future direction(1)
World’s
100s-levels
Focused on
Catch up / World Top 10s
Competition
Focused on
Creative innovation /
Pioneer
• Government R&D has focused on solving global issues
(climate change, diseases, energy, foods and water shortages)
• R&D System to improve efficiency
- Strengthening overall coordinating in adjustment, evaluation and management
- Evaluating, analyzing and utilizing intellectual assets for globalization
- Linking infrastructure(accelerator, nano-fab, nuclear fusion, disaster prevention & safety, nuclear reactor)
with R&D activities
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12. The development of S&T – Future direction(2)
• Strengthening Collaboration
- Industry: Developing applied technology
- University: Research on basic science and cultivating HR
- Research institute: Executing big science programs related global issues,
sharing infrastructure & HR with industries & universities
• Expanding Globalization
- Combining original technologies on IT & GT
- Global collaboration in big science like nuclear fusion, marine/space tech
• Enhancing Public Awareness of Science & Technology
- Strengthening science and risk communication for general public
- Reinforcing creative education for youth
Balanced growth between quantity & quality
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13. KOFAC and its activities
Cultivation of world-class
Strengthening future global leaders
Excellence
education
for the gifted and
talented
Cultivation of creative human
Creativity resources through the reinforced
math and science education
Developing creative human resources
Rationality Supporting school youth’s science
activities
Building the foundation for coalition
Enhancing public understanding of science among science, humanities & arts
and global issues
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14. DIRECTIVE 1 : Involvement
Supporting Science Culture
• Korea’s promising future leaders award
- for 100 creative and talented future leaders
among the youth group
• Science Culture Grants
- for private-level science culture projects
(59 projects a year)
• Science Culture Academy & SCRC
- for academic research & professional education
※SCRC : Science Culture Research Center
• Science Times / ScienceAll
- for providing scientific information
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15. DIRECTIVE 1 : Involvement
Diversifying Science Culture Experience
• Korea Science Festival
- Korea’s largest interactive science festival
(since 1997, 200,000 visitors in 2009)
• ISEC
- research-oriented biannual camp from
11 countries
※ISEC : International Youth Science & Engineering Camp
• Science Ambassador
- science lectures by leading scientists &
engineers
(1,100 ambassadors in action)
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16. DIRECTIVE 1 : Involvement
Sharing Science Culture Experience
• Science Volunteers Program
- College volunteers teach STEM to underprivileged
area
- 1,000 volunteers from 83 universities
• Everyday Science Class
- for youth at local community centers
(493 classes)
• Youth Science Club (YSC)
- for science club activities at schools
(690 clubs in 2009)
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17. DIRECTIVE 1 : Involvement
Public Awareness of Global Issues
•R GB campaign - exhibition, public lectures, concerts and performance
“Hope of
in
Planet Earth”
three colors
• Development and distribution of TV documentary programs, books and cartoons
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18. DIRECTIVE 2 : Creativity
Enhancing Student’s
Creativity in STEM
• Launching the first “Korea International
Science & Engineering Fair (KISEF)”
- sending the winners to ISEF in U.S.(May, 2010)
• Creativity & Character Education
• Creative hands-on activity in cooperation
with Industry/University/Research Institute
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19. DIRECTIVE 2 : Creativity
Encouraging student’s
Creativity in school
• National curriculum development
- reinforcing math & science education
• Strengthening the gifted & talented
- designating science oriented high school
- honors programs (HP)
& undergraduate research program (URP)
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20. DIRECTIVE 2 : Creativity
Development and distribution
of creativity contents
• Next-generation math and science textbooks
- experiment-oriented textbooks designed to
stimulate students’ creativity and interest in
science
• Creativity Resources Center
- development and collection of world-class
science and math educational resources
- experiment kits, visual references, and publications
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21. DIRECTIVE 3 : Collaboration
Collaboration Café & Festival
• Collaboration Café
- arena for experts in S&T,
social and liberal sciences, culture, and arts
- discuss about future society and collaborated
technologies
• Grants for collaboration activities
- creative theater : performances where
science is merged with culture and arts
- science storytelling: creative writing on science
projects, where science is the main theme
- visualization of science: visual works that make
science easy to understand
▶ Collaboration festival: once a year
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22. Key Message
2
S+C=A
Science + Creativity = Answer × Advancement
Visions for the future of Korea
Promoting scientific literacy & enhancing logical thinking power
Cultivating global future leaders by strengthening math & science
education
Science-oriented creative society
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