• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.91-116
• /
• 2007

Under the strong support of the government, nanotechnology(NT) has been expanded rapidly in Korea. Korea was one of the countries that followed the National Nanotechnology Initiative(NNI) of the US very soon and set up their own policies for NT. This paper argues that the main rationale of the Korean version of NNI was so called 'catch-up strategy' by entering at the early stage of new technology. It stimulated scientists and engineers from various disciplines to do researches and to establish new education programs in NT. Unlike IT and BT, however, such fast and big investment in NT was approved by the public in the sense that there has been few criticism on the governmental NT policies and potential harness of NT. With the relative uninterestedness of the civil society and competititveness seeking policy in NT, ELSI in NT was not included in the Korean version of NNI and the results of technology assessments on NT were not introduced to the public at all.

• Journal of Engineering Education Research
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.39-47
• /
• 2011

This paper deals with nanoethics as a sort of extension of engineering ethics utilizing various books, articles, and reports concerning historical, social, and ethical aspects of nanotechnology. After a brief examination on the place and development process of nanotechnology, ethical issues on nanotechnology are analysed including safety problem, impact on environment, violating privacy, social inequity, military use, and human enhancement. The basic principles on nanoethics are proposed such as promotion of public understanding, construction of participatory governance, contribution to sustainable development, commitment to precautionary principle, and compliance with research integrity. Lastly, integrated method in nanoethics education is illustrated putting lecture model, investigation model and discussion model together. This paper can provide the contents available for nanoethics education, and make a basis for the sound development of nanotechnology.