With the 21st presidential election approaching, major party candidates are announcing their pledges in the field of science and technology one by one. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate, promised an investment of 100 trillion won in AI as his primary pledge, while Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party candidate, stated during his visit to the Aerospace Administration in Sacheon, Gyeongnam, that he would become a president focused on science and technology. Lee Jun-seok, the Reform Party candidate, expressed confidence in leading global competition in science and technology as someone from a science and engineering background.
According to the major pledges of the presidential candidates confirmed through the National Election Commission's website on the 15th, there are many similarities in their focus on promoting AI and boosting the morale of scientists and engineers. However, the details of the pledges differ slightly. Regarding the power industry, which is a core infrastructure for AI, opinions on nuclear power were divided, and the direction of reforming the governance of science and technology also varied.
◇Lee Jae-myung and Kim Moon-soo prominently featuring AI
Candidate Lee Jae-myung presented a goal of rising to the world’s top three in AI through the AI transformation (AX). To achieve this, he proposed building an 'AI highway' modeled after the construction of the Gyeongbu Expressway, which led the economic revival. He suggested establishing AI data centers nationwide as innovation hubs and revealed plans to invest 100 trillion won in the AI sector through public-private partnerships.
Candidate Kim Moon-soo also emphasized the goal of becoming one of the top three AI countries. He unveiled plans to cultivate 200,000 AI talents by expanding the capacities of graduate schools and software-centered universities and to establish a 100 trillion won public-private joint fund to support AI unicorn corporations. The plan also includes strengthening the functions of the National AI Committee and innovating relevant regulations to meet global standards by creating the role of an AI policy advisor.
The AI pledges from candidates Lee Jae-myung and Kim Moon-soo show similarities in their aims to achieve a top-three position in AI and the investment of 100 trillion won. The difference lies in their energy policies for AI.
Candidate Kim Moon-soo stressed the need to secure a stable power supply, which is essential infrastructure for the AI industry, by emphasizing the construction of nuclear power plants. He committed to promoting the construction of six large nuclear plants that are either under construction or planned without setbacks and included the commercialization of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and increasing the share of nuclear power in his pledges. Candidate Lee Jae-myung maintained a negative stance on nuclear power.
Candidate Lee emphasized the acceleration of energy transition focused on renewable energy, with a focus on joining the RE100 (Renewable Energy 100%) initiative led by the EU and the UK. While he noted that the pace would be slower than the 'nuclear phase-out' policy of the Moon Jae-in administration, it can be interpreted that the national trend would maintain a reduction in nuclear power.
Experts stress the importance of energy policy for the AI ecosystem. Park Jong-bae, a professor at Konkuk University, noted at a policy forum by the National Academy of Engineering of Korea on the 14th that 'as carbon neutrality is achieved and AI spreads, electricity consumption will increase exponentially' and added, 'AI supremacy will stem from power supremacy.'
Candidate Lee Jun-seok did not directly mention AI in his pledges. Instead, he emphasizes practical AI policies. During his visit to the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) on the 7th, he criticized Lee Jae-myung's AI data center policy and expressed his intention to leap forward as an AI powerhouse through regulatory improvements and attracting AI talent.
Hyun Moo, a professor at KAIST and former CEO of KT, commented on the AI policies of the presidential candidates, saying, 'The pledges currently being proposed often mention creating foundational technologies, but since the AI field is changing rapidly, it seems unnecessary to discuss how much to invest in foundational technologies.' He added that 'rather than that, we need to present what we will do once we catch up with the foundational technologies that the U.S. or China has.'
◇Expanding R&D budget and boosting morale
The Yoon Suk-yeol administration disrupted research sites by cutting the 2024 government research and development (R&D) budget by 14.7% compared to the previous year. This was the first budget cut in 33 years. Candidates also proposed pledges to address this issue.
Candidate Lee Jae-myung highlighted 'stable R&D budget expansion' and investment in foundational fields of R&D as part of his pledges. Candidate Kim Moon-soo also promised to invest more than 5% of national budget expenditure in R&D and to establish the Science and Technology Basic Act to guarantee the status, treatment, and rights of scientists and engineers.
Oh Kyung-soo, the secretary of the Basic Research Association and a professor at Chung-Ang University’s pharmacy department, stated, 'To strengthen national competitiveness by creating an environment where researchers can creatively conduct research and develop technologies, excessive intervention from financial authorities and political influences must be excluded.' He emphasized, 'To strengthen the foundation of basic research, the proportion of the R&D budget compared to total government expenditure should be immediately expanded from the current 4.4% to over 5%.'
Pledges aimed at boosting the morale of scientists and engineers have also emerged. Candidate Kim Moon-soo announced plans to establish a Science and Technology Vice Minister position to integrate the budget and organization related to R&D and to restore the retirement age for researchers at government-funded research institutes to 65 years. He also promised to introduce a system for certifying research results that allows for 'faithful failure.'
Candidate Lee Jae-myung did not mention departmental reorganization in his pledges. However, the Democratic Party recently proposed an amendment to the government organization law to include a Minister and Vice Minister for the Ministry of Science and ICT. Candidate Lee Jun-seok pledged to merge the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and ICT into the Ministry of Education and Science.
Candidate Lee Jun-seok specifically promised to strengthen the treatment of scientists and engineers. He stated plans to introduce a researcher pension system that provides monthly pensions and rewards to scientists and engineers who achieve a certain level of success, and to offer fast-track immigration procedures at the level of diplomats for researchers who meet certain criteria.
◇Restoring the honor of the scientific community; understanding the field comes first
Researchers emphasized the need for pledges to not only remain verbal but also lead to concrete results. Lee Deok-hwan, an emeritus professor of chemistry at Sogang University, criticized that 'to form pledges aimed at the scientific community, it is essential to first assess the current situation of the scientific community,' adding that 'the current pledges lack a diagnosis of reality.'
The professor further stated, 'Clear expressions of regret for cartel remarks and demonization of the medical community, prevention of recurrence, and restoring honor are of utmost importance. Without these prerequisites, the pledges will invariably be empty promises.'