The Ministry of Science and ICT and KISTEP held a public debate on the 2023 technology impact assessment under the theme of “Future of Quantum Science and Technology” on November 23. The technology impact assessment, which has been implemented since 2003, is a system that analyzes and diagnoses in advance the impact that technological development will have on society and seeks a desirable direction for technological development. This year, the future brought about by quantum S&T, which is attracting attention around the world, was analyzed from various aspects such as economy, society, and culture, and diplomatic and security aspects were additionally evaluated, especially considering the characteristics of quantum S&T.

△ Group photo

In the opening remarks, Kwang-Jun Ryu, Director General of the Office of Science, Technology and Innovation Coordination at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said “For desirable S&T development, it is important to examine the impact of new technologies on our lives from various perspectives and be prepared in advance.” and added, “I hope that the debate will serve as an opportunity for the public to think together about the desirable development direction for quantum S&T, which is currently emerging as the core of the US-China technology hegemony competition."

△ Opening remarks by Kwang-Jun Ryu, Director General of the Office of Science, Technology and Innovation Coordination at the Ministry of Science and ICT

In the opening remarks, Byung-Seon Jeong, President of KISTEP, said, “Quantum S&T enables ultra-fast computation, ultra-reliable communication, and ultra-precise measurement, and is expected to have a very large scope of use and ripple effect, and is attracting attention as the core of the competition for technology hegemony among major countries,” and added, “As we have gone through various deliberation processes through technology impact assessment, we will strive to have the capacity to respond to the changes brought about by quantum S&T.”

△ Opening remarks by Byung-Seon Jeong, President of KISTEP

Ji-Ho Hwang, Director General of the Office of Strategic Technology Planning at KISTEP, explained the entire process of the technology impact assessment system, from the selection process for this year's target technology to the activities of the Technology Impact Assessment Committee and citizen forum and ways to utilize the assessment results.

△ Ji-Ho Hwang, Director General of the Office of Strategic Technology Planning at KISTEP

Sang-Wook Han, Director of the KIST Center for Quantum Information, gave a special lecture and introduced theories of quantum S&T such as superposition and entanglement, the status of technology competition between the US and China, policy trends in major countries, and industrial trends such as quantum computing.

△ Lecture on quantum S&T by Sang-Wook Han, Director of the KIST Center for Quantum Information

This year, Professor Jae-shin Lee of the School of Media and Communication at Chung-Ang University served as the chair of the Technology Impact Assessment Committee. He introduced the results of quantum S&T on the existing fields, including economy, society, culture, ethics, law, regulation, environment, and characteristic evaluation, as well as policy recommendations accordingly. In addition, he proposed additional directions for improvement in the areas of diplomacy and security, reflecting the characteristics of the quantum S&T.

△ Jae-shin Lee, Chairman of the Technology Impact Assessment Committee, presenting the draft evaluation results

In the panel discussion presided over by Jae-shin Lee (Chairman of the Technology Impact Assessment Committee), six experts including Han Seb Moon (Professor of the Department of Physics at Pusan National University), Woohyun Shim (Research Fellow at Korea Institute of Public Administration), Junghyun Yoon (Associate Research Fellow at the Institute for National Security Strategy), Sang-wook Lee (Professor of the Department of Philosophy at Hanyang University), Sang-Wook Han (Director of the KIST Center for Quantum Information), and Seok-chan Yoon (Representative of Citizen Forum) participated and shared various opinions in each field and had a Q&A session with citizens who attended the event.

△ Panel discussion

△ Panel discussion and Q&A

The results of the technology impact assessment will be reported to the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology (PACST) and reflected in research plans for R&D programs of the relevant ministries or used to establish measures to minimize negative impacts. In addition, in the first half of next year, a booklet that the public can easily read will be published and distributed to university libraries, government-funded research institutes, and R&D specialized organizations.