Longed-for microscope project to create 130,000 jobs

It was announced on Friday that Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province will be home to a synchrotron radiation accelerator by which electrons are accelerated to the light speed to generate X-ray that penetrates objects.

The synchrotron radiation accelerator differentiates from existing microscopes in that scientists can see things at a nanometer or one billionth of a metre. That is why it is called researchers’ dream microscope. The installation of the synchrotron radiation accelerator in Cheongju will give South Korean scientists and companies easier access to the technology. As of now, they have to wait two to three months to use a synchrotron radiation accelerator.

The synchrotron radiation accelerator, which will be complete in 2028, generates light source 100 times brighter compared to existing systems. It makes it possible to look more precisely at changes in cellular molecules that happen in an instant. Researchers can find it easier to reveal viral protein binding structures and study changing material properties of high-tech materials in real time. It is expected to help develop electronic industries such as semiconductors and display technology, bio-tech fields including new drug and vaccine development, and next-generation material research.

It is highly expected that economic benefits will be created in the local economy thanks to the new light source system. A study released in 2018 by the Korea Basic Science Institute analyzes that it will generate 6.7 trillion won and 137,000 jobs in terms of production inducement.


ashilla@donga.com