[Editorial] Korea’s Science and Engineering Crisis

People say, “Scientists and engineers have no borders.” As long as they are excellent, they can get a job anywhere in the world. In other words, places that scientists and engineers avoid indicate a poor research environment. The engineering department of Seoul National University (SNU) tried to select six professors recently, but it failed to choose any because of a lack of competent candidates. This reveals how far Korean universities are behind compared to their foreign counterparts. Keep in mind this is Korea’s top university; it is best not to mention other universities.

SNU said, “There was no outstanding candidate among about 40 applicants.” This means that talented engineers at home and abroad are reluctant to apply for teaching posts at Korean universities. It is understandable since being a Seoul National University professor means lower pay than they would get from other jobs. The only thing that SNU can do for new professors is pay them money commensurate with what junior professors get. Research funds are evenly distributed to all professors there. It is quite a contrast to prestigious universities in advanced countries that attract capable candidates by providing housing, financial support for children of faculty, jobs for spouses, and incentives for their work.

SNU could lure talented professors if it broke its current rules and promised exceptional treatment. However, this is unlikely because of the inflexible management of national universities. Moreover, it cannot pull in outgoing talent just by appealing to patriotism.

It is serious that the unpopularity of science and engineering is spreading even to professors as well as students. Without competent professors, the quality of science and engineering education will fall behind further, leading to a vicious cycle.

Many countries are desperately trying to attract top scientists and engineers to their own country. China and India, which are working hard to bring back their own talented scientists and engineers staying overseas, motivated the U.S. to enact the “American Competitiveness Initiative.” Korea must come up with innovative measures to secure science and engineer talents, the source of national competitiveness.