South Korean media: [Editorial] How Can We Talk About the Nobel Prize and National Future Without Respecting Science and Technology
Summary: Japan has won two more Nobel Prizes in science this year, bringing its total to 27; it is necessary to cool down the popularity of medical schools and continue to invest in basic science
It's once again the season for the Nobel Prizes, and Japan has once again made South Korea envious. During the Chuseok holiday period from the 6th to the 8th, the Nobel Prizes in science were announced, and Japanese scientists won two major awards: the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Since 1949, when Yukawa Hideki won the Nobel Prize in Physics, Japan has produced 27 Nobel laureates in science. This year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was jointly awarded to Professor Shinya Okazaki (74 years old) of Osaka University and two American professors, while the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was jointly awarded to Professor Susumu Kitagawa (74 years old) of Kyoto University and professors from Australia and the United States. Professor Okazaki discovered "regulatory T cells," elucidating the mechanism of immune tolerance, and opened up a new path for treating autoimmune diseases such as rheumatism; Professor Kitagawa contributed to the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), creating an innovative molecular structure that can produce water from dry desert air.
Every October, South Korean society falls into a "Nobel Prize disease." Especially when there are Japanese winners, the society is filled with sighs of "Why haven't we... yet?" However, Japan's achievement in winning the Nobel Prizes is the result of long-term investment in basic science. The RIKEN Institute, a representative basic scientific research institution in Japan, was founded in 1917 and has over 100 years of history. From its establishment to winning its first Nobel Prize in science in 1949, it took more than 30 years of "accumulation." The Japanese government's planned and continuous science and technology policies have also played a significant role. In 2001, the Japanese government passed the "Second Science and Technology Basic Plan," setting a goal of "ensuring that 30 or more Nobel laureates can be cultivated over the next 50 years and possessing strong scientific and technological power."
South Korea did not establish the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), modeled after the RIKEN Institute, until 2011. However, every time the government changes, the research direction fluctuates. The previous administration even drastically cut the R&D budget, leading to laboratory closures and young researchers leaving their institutions. Moreover, South Korean society still favors medical schools across the country over the engineering colleges at Seoul National University, and due to the world's lowest birth rate, the number of research human resources continues to decrease.
However, there is no need to feel desperate. South Korea's late start in basic scientific research has historical reasons. After the ruins of Japanese rule and the Korean War, the Republic of Korea had no choice but to focus on catch-up technology development and industrialization research. This strategy also led South Korea to achieve per capita GDP exceeding $30,000. It should take the present as a starting point, continue to invest in basic science, and build a society that prioritizes respecting science and technology talents. In addition, South Korea should enact policies to promote the transformation of R&D results into technology and reflect on why Japan, as a country with many Nobel science laureates, has been unable to find new growth momentum. Ultimately, the Nobel Prizes, which aim to benefit humanity, must go hand in hand with national economies.
Source: JoongAng Daily
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1845588068776074/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.