Korean gov't faces international criticism for R&D budget cuts

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology professor George Smoot, center, speaks during a press conference before the Nobel Prize Dialogue 2023 event at COEX in Seoul, Sunday. On the left is University of Manchester professor Konstantin Novoselov. Yonhap

Nobel laureates, top scientific journal express concerns over Korea’s future

By Park Jae-hyuk

The international scientific community is criticizing a decision by the Korean government to cut next year's budget for state-sponsored scientific research activities. The criticism comes after the decision raised public concerns here for possibly damaging the country’s growth potential.

Five Nobel laureates, who came to Korea last week to attend the Nobel Prize Dialogue Seoul 2023 event on Sunday, did not hesitate to sound the alarm at the sharp reduction in budget for state-run research and development (R&D) projects.

University of Manchester professor Konstantin Novoselov, who won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics, told reporters that the Korean government’s decision is expected to deal a blow to the country’s scientific community.

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology professor George Smoot, a 2006 Nobel Laureate in Physics, emphasized that investments in basic science could yield benefits more than a hundredfold, although it would require time. From that standpoint, he urged the government to make long-term investments, instead of following corporations that seek immediate returns.

Stanford University professor Michael Levitt, who received the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, warned that the government’s decision to cut the R&D budget would undoubtedly lead to unfavorable outcomes.

Columbia University professor Joachim Frank, a 2017 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, warned the government against forcing researchers to focus on specific sectors. His view was seen as a counterargument against the government’s plan to increase investments in 12 strategic technologies, while reducing spending on other sectors.

Max Planck Institute of Biophysics Director Hartmut Michel, who received the 1988 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, disagreed with the method of evaluating a researcher’s performance by counting the number of papers published in top journals. The government’s plan to abolish “underperforming” research projects will be based on the publications of papers in leading journals and patent applications.

The Nobel laureates made the remarks a few days after Science, one of the world’s top three scientific journals, published an article titled, “South Korea, a science spending champion, proposes cutbacks.”

Although the journal remained neutral in that article, it made efforts to convey the opinions of Korean researchers, as well as students majoring in science and engineering, about the R&D budget cut.

Its coverage has been considered unusual, because the article focused only on the Korean policy.

However, the government has maintained a firm stance against calls to rethink the budget cut, given that the decision was made after President Yoon Suk Yeol unexpectedly instructed his officials in June to reconsider state-run R&D projects from scratch and root out what he referred to as a cartel that seeks to protect their vested interests.

After the Chosun Ilbo reported last Wednesday that the presidential office and the ruling party began the process of increasing the budget for basic science, the presidential office immediately denied the report during Yoon’s visit to the U.S.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho also ruled out the possibility, saying that the government has never considered the increase in its R&D budget.

“As we reviewed the R&D budget from scratch, the spending has increased recklessly over the past few years,” the finance minister said. “The government budget for next year is intended to focus on investments in important sectors for the future.”

The Ministry of Science and ICT has also been busy denying the potential negative impact on young researchers, who are said to risk losing their jobs after the budget cut.

“Regardless of the decrease in spending for state-sponsored research institutes, we will come up with various measures for the younger generation to continue their research activities stably without losing their jobs,” the ministry said in a statement.

Despite the explanation, criticism has even come from the ruling People Power Party.

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, who worked as a doctor and a scientist, said Monday that the government had to review how it has supervised the use of its R&D budget, before it decides to cut its spending on state-sponsored scientific projects.