South Korean media: "Dominating nine out of the top ten," the rise of China's scientific research capability!
On April 14, South Korean media outlet Newsis published an article stating that South Korea's university rankings in the "Nature Index," which evaluates global scientific research capabilities, have declined compared to the previous survey.
The publisher of the international academic journal Nature, Springer Nature Group, ranked Seoul National University at 59th globally and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) at 84th.
In the rankings released last June, these two universities were ranked 52nd and 82nd, respectively.
Among other South Korean universities, Yonsei University ranked 144th, Sungkyunkwan University 159th, and Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) 166th.
The Nature Index, compiled by Springer Nature Group, ranks countries and institutions based on the number and impact of papers published in top-tier academic journals such as those in the natural sciences, and is considered a global benchmark for assessing scientific research levels.
This ranking is based on an analysis of papers published across 145 academic journals during the period from December 1, 2024, to November 30, 2025, categorized by scientific fields.
Chinese universities maintained their leading position, consistent with the previous statistical results.
Following the evaluation conducted last June, the Chinese Academy of Sciences once again ranked first, with all other top ten institutions except Harvard University being Chinese universities.
The Max Planck Institute in Germany, which was ranked ninth last June, dropped to 11th this time.
There were no changes in the rankings by country or region.
China ranks first, followed by the United States in second place, with Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, and France ranking third through sixth. South Korea ranks seventh.
Looking at specific fields, South Korea ranks fourth in physical sciences, seventh in chemistry, and twelfth in earth and environmental sciences as well as life sciences.
According to the assessment, the momentum of China’s rise in scientific fields has been further highlighted in this ranking.
Based on the number of published papers, China first topped the global rankings in 2023 and has since maintained its leading position.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1862431393054795/
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