Korean media: South Korea's quantum researchers are only 6% of China's!
On November 25, the Korean newspaper "Chosun Ilbo" published an article stating that a recent survey found that South Korea has 2,964 quantum researchers, which is only 6% of China's 48,875 people. In addition, unlike the United States and China, where top researchers are distributed in the industry and research institutions, South Korea is overly concentrated in academia. This has raised concerns: if the commercialization of quantum technologies, including quantum computers, accelerates, South Korea will find it difficult to maintain its competitive advantage.
The Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology of South Korea recently released the "National Strategic Technology Global Human Resources Map Analysis Report," analyzing quantum research papers over the past decade to determine the distribution of key talents.
According to this analysis, the number of researchers in the field of quantum computing in South Korea is 1,330, about 7% of China's (19,974). The United States has 8,956 researchers, and Japan has 2,655. In the field of quantum communication, the number of researchers in South Korea is also small, at 792, lower than China's (12,898), the United States' (5,690), and Japan's (1,510). In the field of quantum sensing, South Korea has 842 researchers, while China (16,003), the United States (6,972), and Japan (1,738) have relatively more researchers.
However, considering population size, the proportion of quantum researchers in South Korea is similar to that of the United States and Japan. The Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology of South Korea stated, "In terms of the total number of researchers, South Korea ranks tenth globally in quantum computing, and twelfth in quantum communication and quantum sensing. The number of researchers who have moved into South Korea from abroad in the field of quantum computing is 21, 10 in quantum communication, and 16 in quantum sensing."
The Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology of South Korea pointed out, "China and the United States account for more than half of the global core researchers (those in the top 10% by paper citations), and the concentration of researchers in the top 1% is even more significant." The report also added, "In the United States, researchers in the top 1% are concentrated in the industrial sector, such as Google and IBM; while in China and Europe, they are concentrated in the research sector. In contrast, South Korea's researchers in the top 1% are concentrated in academia."
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1849724672495751/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.