The Ministry of Science and ICT building in government Sejong City./Courtesy of News1

A week has passed since the Lee Jae-myung government was inaugurated, but the direction for reforming the governance of science and technology (policy implementation system) remains unclear. Observations suggest that while the Lee Jae-myung government is focusing on restructuring governance in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector, the science and technology field has been relatively deprioritized.

According to the science and technology community and government officials on the 13th, there has been no notable speculation regarding the Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, the control tower for science and technology policy. This is different from other government departments like the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry of Health and Welfare, where candidates are being named by public recommendation following the president's announcement.

A senior official from the Ministry of Science and ICT said, "While I have heard news about the selection of a vice minister candidate, there has been no mention of the minister. Candidates being discussed for the Ministry of Science and ICT's Vice Minister position include Gu Hyuk-jae, the Deputy Minister for Planning and Coordination, and Ko Seo-gon, Vice President of the Korea Industrial Technology Association."

President Lee also did not mention the Ministry of Science and ICT. The science and technology chief, which was revived under the Yoon Suk-yeol government, was reduced again to the position of science and technology research secretary after failing to last two years.

Instead, the science and technology community is focusing on the newly created AI Future Planning Chief in the presidential office. Several candidates are reportedly being discussed. A political insider noted, "There is much talk that Im Moon-young, chairman of the Digital Special Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, who worked closely with President Lee at the Gyeonggi provincial government, is a strong candidate, as the election pledges have largely concentrated on AI, making the AI Chief selection a top priority."

There are analyses suggesting that the selection of the Minister of Science and ICT is linked to the direction of government organizational reform. President Lee Jae-myung has said that he will establish a Ministry of Climate and Energy. If the Ministry of Climate and Energy is established, there is a good chance that the organization related to nuclear and future energy under the Vice Minister of Science and ICT will be transferred.

An executive responsible for public affairs at a large corporation in the science sector remarked, "There are also suggestions that not only the energy part under the Vice Minister but also the communication and AI parts under the second vice minister could be separated. Some forecasts say that ministerial selection will only be possible after the direction of these government organizational reforms is determined."

The situation is similar for the Aerospace Administration, which was established during the Yoon Suk-yeol government. The focus seems to be on reviewing the functions and roles of the Aerospace Administration rather than the selection of the administrator. An industry source in the aerospace sector said, "In the aerospace field, the appointments of the 1st to 3rd deputy directors of the National Intelligence Service and the newly established defense business secretary in the presidential office are of interest," adding, "The appointment of the aerospace administration administrator, whose role is limited, seems to be pushed to a lower priority."

In the field of science and technology, there are voices of disappointment over the delay in the selection of the Minister of Science and ICT and the Aerospace Administration administrator. To restore the research and development (R&D) ecosystem that collapsed during the Yoon Suk-yeol government, it is said that the colors of the Lee Jae-myung government must be reflected in the R&D budget being discussed for next year. To achieve this, it is necessary to understand President Lee Jae-myung's intentions and have a new leader who understands the research field.

A deputy director of a government-funded research institute in the science sector stated, "The candid response from the research field is that the two professors who served as ministers of the Ministry of Science and ICT during the Yoon Suk-yeol government ruined the R&D ecosystem and the science sector. I hope that in the Lee Jae-myung government, a bureaucrat or a businessperson who can understand the voice of the field and swiftly direct policies will take the position of minister."