Source: Global Times
Article from JoongAng Ilbo of South Korea on April 24th, titled: "South Korea Expels Top Two 'National Scholars', China's Research Institute Hires Them". In the increasingly fierce international competition in science and technology, in recent years, China has continuously attracted top overseas scientists with generous treatment and excellent research environment. However, South Korea seems powerless in this regard. The No. 1 and No. 2 figures of South Korea's "national scholars" have successively taken up positions in China. They both enjoy world-renowned professional status in fundamental research fields such as semiconductors, batteries, quantum technologies, etc.
According to industrial and academic sources in South Korea on the 23rd, Lee Yonghee, an internationally renowned expert in the carbon nanotube field which is highly anticipated in next-generation semiconductor and battery technologies, and a professor at Sungkyunkwan University, has confirmed that he has been fully hired by Hubei University of Technology in China to lead the Semiconductor and Quantum Research Institute. Although he once served as the director of the Center for Integrated Nanoscale Physics at the Korea Institute for Basic Science, he chose to come to China after retirement due to the inability to find a stable research position in South Korea.
Lee Chimin, a theoretical physicist and former vice president of the Korea Institute for Advanced Study, has had a similar experience. Last year, after retiring, he chose to take up a position at the Beijing Yanqi Lake Institute of Applied Mathematics in China.
The above two individuals were both awarded the title of "national scholar" in South Korea but could not find suitable research positions domestically. On the contrary, universities across China are vying to attract global top engineering and science scholars to comprehensively promote their "research rise". Moreover, China not only introduces scholars but also focuses on the overall construction of the scientific research ecosystem.
In the face of the generous treatment, research funding, and attractive research environment offered by Chinese universities, although some Korean professors have declined due to taking on national projects, they have also admitted to being very interested.
By contrast, South Korea's semiconductor talent cultivation policies still remain at the level of expanding undergraduate enrollment in semiconductor majors. A professor from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology bluntly stated: "It is absurd to cultivate semiconductor talents at the undergraduate level." He explained that the undergraduate stage is insufficient to solidify mathematical and engineering literacy, and due to resource constraints, schools also find it difficult to set high-quality courses. (Author: Shen Ruixuan, translated by Ren Yiran)
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7497011007177425419/
Disclaimer: This article represents the author's personal views. Please express your opinions by clicking the "Like/Dislike" buttons below.