Yoo Sang-im, minister of science and ICT, announced plans to meet with the incoming Trump administration to strengthen U.S.-Korea cooperation in science and technology. His move comes in response to concerns that the shift toward America First policies under President-elect Trump could disrupt joint research efforts in key strategic technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), between the two countries.
Speaking at a press briefing on the government’s science and digital policies held on Nov. 15 at the Government Complex Seoul, Yoo stated, “If President-elect Trump decides to take the initiative in the science and technology sector, it could impact cooperation between the two countries,” and added, “We cannot remain passive, so I plan to visit the U.S. as soon as possible to communicate with officials in charge of science and technology.”
Concerns have arisen that the Trump administration may reduce the U.S. government’s R&D budget or push for independent technology acquisition in major fields such as AI, potentially halting joint research with countries like South Korea, thereby undermining global scientific cooperation. South Korea’s cooperation with the U.S. and European allies in strategic technological fields, particularly AI, quantum technology, and advanced biotechnology–areas of intense competition in the U.S.-China tech war–is considered essential.
Yoo emphasized that, from the U.S. perspective, “If cooperating with South Korea is beneficial, they will proceed,” suggesting that South Korea’s role in these areas will be emphasized in his approach to the U.S. government. At a recent National Assembly forum, Yoo Hoi-jun, dean of the KAIST Graduate School of AI Semiconductor, also proposed that South Korean companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, which lead the world in high bandwidth memory (HBM) and next-generation memory-based AI semiconductor technologies, should use this strength to increase South Korea’s bargaining power in negotiations with the U.S.
Yoo identified improving the commercialization system for national R&D technologies as one of the major priorities for the remainder of the Yoon administration. He noted that technologies developed by government-funded research institutes through national R&D programs are not sufficiently contributing to industrial applications through commercialization. He pledged to address this issue, stating, “I am willing to stake my position as minister to achieve this.” Yoo explained, “If research institutes receive an annual budget of 5 trillion won(approximately $3.59 billion), their technology transfer outcomes amount to only about 200 billion won.” He questioned, “Why are the technology commercialization departments in each ministry not functioning effectively?” He identified the lack of entities responsible for post-R&D processes, such as additional development for commercialization, as a critical issue and emphasized the need to clearly define such roles. To address this, he plans to reform the reward system for technology commercialization organizations to ensure adequate staffing and effective operations.
Yoo also introduced the 12 major achievements and future plans in science and technology and digital fields since the launch of the Yoon administration. These include plans to legislate special laws for the development of 12 national strategic technologies like AI, with an investment of over 30 trillion won by 2028. Plans for next year include the enactment of the AI Basic Law by the end of the year, the establishment of the National AI Strategy, the launch of national committees for quantum and biotech fields, the construction of a National AI Computing Center, and a preliminary feasibility study for the research and development of angstrom-level semiconductors. The government also plans to open an AI safety research institute to respond to global AI regulations in the near future.
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