Prime Minister Kim Min-seok held a roundtable with experts on Tuesday to discuss policy directions for strengthening energy security and science and technology competitiveness.
Kim chaired the "Energy and Science & Technology Roundtable" at the Government Complex Seoul in the afternoon, telling members of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology and other experts that "the government has pursued energy security and related policies with science- and technology-based innovation as a key policy task, so that our economy can grow without wavering amid changes in the external environment." He asked that "the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology play its role so that policy efforts can lead to tangible changes and outcomes in the field."
Attendees included Lee Kyung-soo, vice chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology; Yoon Eui-joon, chairman of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea; Hong Sung-joo, senior research fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Institute; and Zhang Byoung-tak, professor of computer science and engineering at Seoul National University.
The roundtable was arranged to address uncertainty in global supply chains caused by the prolonged war in the Middle East and intensifying competition for technological supremacy. It sought to explore ways to overcome the energy crisis using science and technology and to secure new growth engines.
Participants suggested that an innovation framework to support strategic research and development investment must be established for Korea to advance as a leading science and technology nation. Broad discussions were also held on measures such as turning public R&D data into assets in AI-usable formats in line with the era of artificial intelligence (AI) transformation.
In the energy sector, participants unanimously called for a national security approach. They stressed the need to establish a mid- to long-term vision that identifies and utilizes all available energy sources and to use technology to manage power supply instability in new industries such as renewable energy.
"I will actively reflect the various opinions discussed today in the government's policy-making process," Kim said. The government plans to continue in-depth discussions with experts on key issues in major sectors.
