Presidential office to revive senior science secretary post

The presidential office will return the senior secretary office for science and technology, reviving the position six years after the previous administration scrapped it. The change is part of an overhaul undertaken ahead of next year’s election.

President Yoon Suk Yeol makes a speech at the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science on Nov. 2 in Daedeok, Daejeon. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

The presidential office will return the senior secretary office for science and technology, reviving the position six years after the previous administration scrapped it.

The secretary of science and technology currently serves under the senior secretary for economic affairs.

The change is part of a major overhaul of the presidential office undertaken ahead of next year’s parliamentary election, which is less than six months away.

The president has spearheaded reforms to bolster the public’s support since his People Power Party lost the Gangseo District by-election last month to the Democratic Party.

The president’s office is also considering splitting the social policy secretary office, which has pushed the Yoon Suk Yeol government’s three key reforms — labor, pension and education.

The social policy office would be split into two different offices.

The social issue office will oversee education, welfare and culture, while the separate office will be responsible for environmental and labor issues.

Yoon's presidential office currently has six senior secretaries for policy planning, political affairs, civil and social agenda, public relations, economic affairs and social policy.

If the proposed changes go as planned, the presidential office will expand to accommodate eight secretary offices.

“The new office of the senior secretary of science and technology is most likely to happen,” a high-ranking official at the president’s office told the JoongAng Ilbo on Monday.

The official, however, said the splitting of the social policy office has yet to be decided.

The senior secretary in charge of science, technology and information communication under President Park Geun-hye was demoted by her successor, Moon Jae-in.

Before entering his third year as president, Yoon may hope to accelerate several national goals he established before his term started.

“President Yoon had focused mainly on the three major reforms and planning out the basic blueprint of the state administration,” said a presidential office official, who requested anonymity. “But starting next year, we want to pursue different agendas.”

President Yoon is positioning experts in related fields to realize his goals.

President Yoon has been emphasizing the urgency of developing science and technology.

During his visit to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich in January, he declared this year as year one of Korea’s quantum science technology.

At a celebration at the special R&D zone in Daedeok in Daejeon, Yoon stressed that Korea’s future competitiveness depended on the country’s science and technology.

He said now is the time for Korea to become a “first mover.”

“For a year and a half [since Yoon took office], we have agreed that science and technology is a key value necessary in preparing the nation’s future by successfully attracting investment,” said a high-ranking government official. “It is not a money-hogging field.”

President Yoon recently came under fire from the Democratic Party for cutting next year’s budget for R&D.

The government cut next year’s budget on R&D by 16.6 percent from 31.1 trillion won this year to 25.9 trillion won, a 5 trillion won difference.

It is the first cut since 1991.

The president’s office argued that the cut reduced unnecessary spending as the previous government had used government money recklessly.

The president’s office has raised the need to use the taxpayers' money more efficiently and effectively, especially in crucial areas.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]