News & Event
News & Event
News & Event
“South Korea Aims for a Global Leap Through R&D Stability and AI Innovation” — 2025 INNOPOLIS Global Forum
- Writer KISTEP
- Date2025-10-20
- Hit4,744
Tae-seog Oh, president of the Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP), delivered a keynote address on Thursday, September 4, in the Crystal Ballroom at Lotte City Hotel Daejeon during the 2025 INNOPOLIS Global Forum. The forum was convened to address major challenges facing the Republic of Korea—including population decline, a falling potential growth rate, instability in global supply chains and intensifying U.S.-China technological competition—and to explore avenues for international cooperation through technology‑driven innovation.
In a keynote titled “Shifting Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy for Technology‑Driven Growth,” President Oh emphasized that Korea has advanced through science and technology and must continue to rely on them to overcome future crises. He noted that while Korea has propelled its economy with one of the world’s highest R&D investment ratios—4.96% of GDP in 2023—and strong research output, it now faces structural headwinds, including a potential growth rate projected to decline to 2% by 2026 and ongoing turbulence in global supply chains. He added that abrupt policy shifts—such as a 14% year‑over‑year cut in the 2024 government R&D budget—have weakened trust in the research community and discouraged long‑term private‑sector investment.
Tae‑seog Oh, president of KISTEP, delivers the keynote address.
(Click the image to view the keynote.)
President Oh pointed out that despite steady increases in government R&D spending, rapidly shifting policy priorities from year to year have heightened instability across the research sector. As a result, the absence of a long‑term strategy and the erosion of trust have become evident. Amid uncertainty, companies have also expressed concern that the emphasis is increasingly shifting from long‑term and basic research to short‑term, results‑driven projects.
He introduced the Lee Jae‑myung administration’s “True Growth” strategy, whose core pillars are Technology-Driven Growth, Growth for All and Fair Growth. To advance technology‑driven growth, he outlined five directions: becoming a global AI powerhouse, fostering future industries, building an innovation ecosystem, cultivating talent and diversifying supply chains. He went on to present concrete steps: ensuring stability in R&D, concentrating investment in AI, modernizing the research environment and reforming governance.
Tae‑seog Oh, president of KISTEP, joins the panel discussion.
Finally, President Oh underscored the need for international cooperation, noting that these challenges are global, not unique to Korea. “Instead of avoiding risk, Korea should use R&D and innovation as a breakthrough to open up new growth,” he said, expressing hope that the forum would serve as a starting point. The subsequent panel—moderated by Ji‑woong Yoon, president of the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI)—featured President Oh and Mario Cervantes, a senior analyst at the OECD, in a session titled “The Evolution and Vision of Global Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy.”