Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy

Asian Society for Innovation and Policy (아시아기술혁신학회)
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Korea's Science and Technology Manpower Policy: Focusing on the Special Act on Support for Scientists and Engineers and its Action Plans

  • Seongsoo Kim (Department of Public Administration, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies) ;
  • Changyul Lee (Department of Public Administration, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies)
  • Received : 2023.02.28
  • Accepted : 2023.04.25
  • Published : 2023.04.30
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Abstract

This paper dealt with the Korean manpower policy in science and technology, focusing on the contents and tools of the Special Act and its Master Plans. After briefly introducing the historical development of the Korean manpower policy from the 1960s to the present, it discussed and analyzed the Special Act and Plans from the framework of personnel development, distribution, utilization and infrastructure. Korea's science and technology manpower policy has focused on fostering and supplying manpower in line with the country's industrial growth strategy. In the early stage of industrial development during the 1960s and 1980s, government research institutes were direct and effective tools for nurturing S&T manpower. Since the 1990s, the importance of university research has increased. The government fostered graduate research manpower through the research-oriented university policy of the BK21 program. After the IMF financial crisis in 1997, the tendency of students to avoid careers in science and technology led to enacting the Special Act (2004) governing the field of S&T human resources. The Special Act has contributed to leveling up the university education system in science and engineering and sophisticated the policy to include entrepreneurship training, spin-off startups, industry-university cooperation, and offering degree programs. The Special Act and the regularly revised Master Plans have been essential tools in systematically managing the science and technology manpower policies of the Korean government.

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Acknowledgement

The idea of this article was conceived from the 2022 K-Innovation Partnership with Indonesia Project commissioned by STEPI. The authors are grateful to STEPI for the research opportunity and sponsorship and the two anonymous reviewers who improved this article. The work was also supported by the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies 2022 Research Fund.

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