This article is by Yoon Ji-won and read by an artificial voice.

In a push to create a new group of elite "national scientists," President Lee Jae Myung has stated his intention to boost support for local scientific talent and recruit 2,000 researchers from abroad by 2030.
The government will launch a "National Scientist" program to support 100 leading scientists and engineers with globally recognized research achievements, selecting 20 a year until 2030, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced during a public report chaired by President Lee on Friday in Daejeon. The program comes as the Lee administration aims to rebuild the country's research power and global standing after years of budget cuts and brain drain.
"Throughout history, nations that invested in and valued scientific civilization have thrived, while those that disparaged or ignored science have collapsed," Lee said at the event, held at the National Science Museum.
He pledged to restore and further expand the national research and development (R&D) budget, emphasizing that the government will channel more national resources into science and technology.
"We have decided to give our researchers the freedom and right to fail," Lee said.
"One of the most shocking things I've heard from researchers is that Korea's R&D success rate exceeds 90 percent. If success were that easy, what would be the point? Failure builds the foundation for success," he added.
The government plans to establish the selection criteria for national scientists in the first half of next year and to name the first 20 National Scientists in the second half. Details on funding and privileges will also be finalized during that period.

Ha Jung-woo, senior presidential secretary for AI future planning, said the program's design will "draw from global examples such as China's Academician system to develop the most suitable model," adding that the government aims to "create an environment where future Nobel laureates can emerge."
The plan also includes establishing AI science high schools in regional areas, which will connect with national science and technology institutes to fast-track Ph.D.-level talent development.
To attract overseas experts, the government will bring in 2,000 new foreign researchers by 2030 and support top international students with settling in Korea. Officials said the initiative also seeks to capitalize on rising U.S. H-1B visa costs, making Korea a more attractive destination for global researchers.
Lee underscored the scale of the government's investment, saying the upcoming R&D budget was expanded "to an almost unimaginable level."
According to the 2026 budget proposal submitted to the National Assembly, R&D funding will increase 19.3 percent year-on-year to 35.3 trillion won ($24.3 billion), marking the largest rise ever.
Lee also took a jab at the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration's R&D budget cuts, referring to a 2023 incident at KAIST when a student protesting those cuts during a commencement ceremony was escorted out by presidential security.
"Isn't this the place where someone was dragged out for speaking up?" Lee asked. "I was curious to see if that person might be here today. How unfair that must have been." The remark drew laughter from the audience.
Before the forum, Lee visited the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (Kstar) facility for its fusion nuclear power reactor at the National Fusion Research Institute in Daejeon.

In a related development, President Lee appointed Lee Han-joo, a longtime confidant and former head of the State Affairs Planning Committee, as chairman of the National Research Council For Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, which oversees 26 state-funded think tanks.
The Prime Minister's office described Lee Han-joo as "a macroeconomist and policy expert with extensive experience in national planning and governance, and a deep understanding of President Lee's policy philosophy."
His term runs through November 2028. ...

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