Cutting Innovation: How President Yoon’s Austerity Failed Korean STEM

Government’s R&D budget cuts receive immediate backlash, with modifications for 2025

Jerome Kwon, Section Editor

February 21, 2025

A one-sided cut in research funding resulted in hostile reactions from academia. However, the president’s response was staunch.

The president’s bodyguards cover the mouth of an angry STEM graduate and drag him out of student hall. This action encapsulates the government’s response to student unrest against its research & development (R&D) budget cuts. The news from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) went viral in mainstream media, which roused public outrage.

Under President SukYeol Yoon’s administration, the Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology announced a major reduction of research funding from 31.1 trillion KRW ($21.6 billion) to 26.5 trillion KRW ($18.4 billion) without explanation. With the unjustified change, universities and science schools nationwide released statements of condemnation on the policy. Under intense criticism from institutions and the public alike, Yoon claimed that he took action to combat “research cartels” that wasted government funds in the name of innovation. Additionally, he stated that the removal of such inefficiencies would enhance the global competency of Korean technology and increase the transparency of large-scale research projects.

Government R&D aid decreased significantly in 2024. However, the 2025 plans from the Ministry of Economics and Finance indicate a large increase in research funds. (Olya Karpenko)

However, the president’s decision only exacerbated the poor research environment of Korea. In the past, graduates and postdoctoral researchers worked with salaries below minimum wage. “There was always only little payment for laboratory work, definitely below the minimum wage […] the R&D budget cuts decreased my income even more, but I would say that it was already low anyway,” said Jaehwan Choi, a PhD candidate of Seoul National University (SNU).

Graduates were not the only ones impacted by Yoon’s announcement. Operators of laboratory equipment, as well as faculty members of universities, faced a large decrease in their salaries. “While I wasn’t impacted too much, I really felt worried for the operators of our equipment, who are needed to keep maintenance […] I think their payments decreased a lot for our department, even though the payment was really important for their daily lives, unlike us students,” said Moonhyung Lee, a student researcher of SNU.

Storage equipment moved from their original laboratories litter the hallways. Many colleges went through major reforms following the budget cut. (Jerome Kwon)

This lack of monetary support in graduate and post-doctoral researchers have long been criticized as the cause of talent shortages in Korea. Due to this fundamental problem, government objectives for technological innovation, such as the gifted science high school initiative, showed little progress in strengthening Korea’s research prestige.

The future of Korean STEM appears even darker, with disruptions in science education for young scholars. “The budget issue really caused a problem for us—as a government-funded science school, we handle a lot of costly science experiments and conduct research. We always have to spend money for maintenance as well as classes, but the R&D cut clearly disturbed us […] some of my friends and teachers actually had to pause their research because of it,” said Boseong Kim, a student of Gwangju Science High School.

Moreover, polls from multiple research-focused universities around Korea demonstrated the nationwide dissatisfaction of Yoon’s policy. In fact, 85% of SNU and 98% of Yonsei University members expressed “strong disapproval” of the R&D budget cuts. With the president’s impeachment crisis following his martial law declaration, the policy only strengthened student activism against Yoon’s presidency.

Following Yoon’s impeachment crisis, Seoul National University students expressed disapproval of the president. The poster additionally criticizes the R&D budget cuts, which are described as having “eliminated Korea’s technological competency.” (Jerome Kwon)

As a result of the immediate backlash, the Ministry of Science and ICT declared a 11.8% increase in the R&D budget for 2025. Most significantly, the initiative took focus around the “three gamechangers”: artificial intelligence, biotechnology and quantum computing. “I really have high hopes for the coming season, as the government restored all our funding. In our school, we were able to continue all the paused research projects and equipment purchases,” Kim said.

Despite the disastrous outcomes of Yoon’s budget reductions in 2024, the restoration of R&D expenditures offers a sign of hope for the future. As Korea races to become an international technology powerhouse, the administration must continue to embrace the importance of financial stability in scientific progress.

About the Contributors

Jerome Kwon, Section Editor

Promoted to editor, Jerome Kwon enters journalism class with a heart full of hopes and an adaptable mindset. DIS teachers serve as his role models, especially ones known for their work ethic and hilarious sense of humor. Always open to fierce sociopolitical arguments, he prepares to break new ground with heavy opinion pieces. Jerome dreams of great achievements with his comrades in the DIS media program.

Olya Karpenko, Illustrator

Olya Karpenko illustrates for the Jets Flyover. She can sketch up a storm for any writer. Her biggest hobby is music. For Olya, music represents more than just sound. It means emotions and atmospheres that wrap around her soul. As a globetrotter, Olya jumps from place to place, and has lived in Europe and Asia. A proud member of National Art Honor Society, Olya brings passion and creativity to all of her classes and clubs during her second year at DIS.