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Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
[Lee Byung-jong] Time for Korea's brain gain
There was a time when South Korean scientists and engineers left their country in droves, seeking better research environments and more rewarding careers abroad —especially in the United States. For decades, this outflow of talent, often referred to as brain drain, was seen as a symptom of Korea's limited scientific infrastructure and rigid institutional culture. But today, the situation is changing. South Korea has emerged as a serious player in research and development, and its universities and companies are becoming increasingly competitive. Now, many of those once-lost talents are coming home — and more could follow. This trend could accelerate in light of policy shifts in the United States. The Trump administration has cut research funding and accused academic institutions of being "liberal strongholds,' pushing many scholars to consider opportunities abroad. As a result, countries around the world have begun courting scientists and academics disillusioned with the American system, offering them better support, autonomy and respect for their work. Canada, for example, has positioned itself as a haven for displaced US-based academics, offering generous funding and robust institutional support. The University of Toronto has successfully recruited several leading researchers from American universities in recent years. Similar efforts are underway in Europe. Aix-Marseille University in France recently offered 15 positions specifically aimed at US-based scholars. Across the continent, institutions in the UK, Germany and elsewhere are actively attracting American talent, especially as diplomatic and trade tensions with the US continue to rise. China is another key player in this new global race for talent. Armed with extensive government funding, a vast research infrastructure, and a clear national strategy, China has been aggressively courting global experts. Many China-born scientists and engineers, educated and employed in the US, are returning home, driven partly by growing anti-China sentiment in the US. However, China's ambitions face a critical limitation: a lack of academic freedom. For many international scholars, concerns about censorship and political interference make China a less appealing destination. Hong Kong once offered an alternative, but increasing control from Beijing has narrowed that window as well. In this global context, South Korea stands out as a country with both the motivation and the means to benefit from the US brain drain. Although it is still an emerging power in basic sciences, Korea has made impressive strides. Its universities may not yet be counted among the global elite, but their quality has improved dramatically. World-class research institutions like KAIST, Postech and the Institute for Basic Science are helping close the gap. Historically, most researchers returning to Korea have been Korean nationals who studied or worked abroad. Foreign scholars remain a rarity in Korean academia, largely due to systemic challenges: relatively low compensation, a rigid academic culture, hierarchical management in companies and significant language barriers. Many universities and research institutions still prioritize Korean-language communication and maintain promotion systems that can be opaque or overly rigid, discouraging interdisciplinary and creative work. Despite these challenges, Korea has the potential to become a global R&D hub. It invests over 4 percent of its gross domestic product in R&D — among the highest rates in the world — and the government has long recognized science and technology as essential to national development. Major conglomerates such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai, LG and Posco pour enormous sums into their research centers and also support affiliated institutions like Postech. The government-run Institute for Basic Science, launched in 2011, collaborates with these players in key fields including biotechnology, AI, semiconductors, physics, robotics and battery research. These investments are already producing results. The IBS has recruited world-class talent such as Kim Ki-moon, an expert in supramolecular chemistry, and Noh Do-young, a leader in advanced X-ray science — both of whom returned from prestigious US laboratories. At KAIST, Cho Kwang-hyun, a systems biology expert trained in the US, is leading cutting-edge research. Foreign talent, while still rare, is also starting to arrive. One standout is Rodney S. Ruoff, an American chemist renowned for his work in carbon materials, who joined IBS to lead nanomaterials research. He praised IBS for offering 'unprecedented freedom' compared to US institutions. Institutions across Korea are making efforts to attract more of this kind of talent. The Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, for example, is actively recruiting global doctoral-level researchers in AI as part of a joint initiative with the Ministry of Science and ICT. Its postdoctoral fellowship program offers highly attractive compensation — up to 90 million won ($ 64,700) annually — along with research funding and opportunities for industry collaboration. These moves are designed not only to build domestic expertise but also to internationalize Korea's research environment. Ultimately, all these efforts toward brain gain aim to strengthen Korea's global standing in R&D, which still lags behind its industrial and manufacturing dominance. While Samsung and other Korean brands are global market leaders, their long-term success depends on innovation rooted in foundational science and technology. However, one major domestic challenge remains: attracting young Korean talent to scientific fields. An increasing number of top students are opting for medical school over careers in engineering or science, seeking greater job stability and social prestige. For a country still waiting for its first Nobel Prize in science (it has only won in peace and literature), this trend is troubling. Yet, the momentum behind Korea's brain gain strategy may help reverse this. By showcasing world-class research, international partnerships, and success stories of returnees and foreign scholars, Korea can inspire the next generation of homegrown scientists — and attract the best minds from around the world.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Australian prime minister indulges in panda diplomacy as state visit in China nears end
BEIJING (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has toured a panda breeding facility in the final stages of an extended state visit that has cast China as a fellow champion of a global fair trade system under threat from the United States. The panda diplomacy stop Thursday in the central Chinese city of Chengdu highlighted Australia's special status as the only Southern Hemisphere country to host a pair of the rare Chinese native animals. Albanese and his fiancée Jodie Haydon visited a pen where they saw Fu Ni, a giant panda who had been on loan to Australia's Adelaide Zoo until last year. 'A great ambassador for China and a great friend of Australia,' Albanese said of Fu Ni as she chomped on bamboo. China loans Australia pandas Premier Li Qiang used a visit to the Adelaide Zoo last year to announce Fu Ni and her partner Wang Wang would be replaced by another China-born pair that will hopefully breed. The new couple, Xing Qiu and Yi Yan, made their public debut in January at the zoo in the South Australia state capital where they are a major tourist attraction. Albanese's China trip, which began Saturday and ends on Friday, is extraordinarily long compared with Australian state visits over the past decade and marks a normalization of bilateral relations that plumbed new depths under the previous Australian government's nine-year reign. Albanese said he had visited Chengdu and the Great Wall of China, as well at the usual diplomatic destinations of Beijing and Shanghai, as a show of respect to the Chinese people. 'The Great Wall of China symbolises the extraordinary history and culture here in China, and showing a bit of respect to people never cost anything. But you know what it does? It gives you a reward,' Albanese told reporters. 'One of the things that I find about giving countries respect is that you get it back,' he added. In 2020, Beijing banned minister-to-minister contacts and imposed a series of official and unofficial trade barriers on commodities including wine, beef, coal, barley and lobsters that cost Australian exporters up to 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion) a year. This was a response to Australia's previous government demanding an independent inquiry into the cause of and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic was the final straw, relations had been deteriorating for years over issues including laws banning covert foreign interference in Australian politics and Australia barring Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei on security grounds from involvement in the national 5G network rollout. The trade barriers have all been lifted since Albanese's center-left Labor Party was first elected in 2022. But now, the United States threatens to become a major disruptor to global trade through President Donald Trump's tariff regime. Chinese president urges Australia to hold course Chinese President Xi Jinping told Albanese at the outset of their bilateral meeting in Beijing Tuesday that the important thing their two countries had learned in repairing relations was that equal treatment, seeking common ground and pursuing cooperation served the interests of both. 'No matter how the international landscape may evolve, we should uphold this overall direction unswervingly,' Xi said through an interpreter. The comment was widely interpreted as a reference to U.S. tariffs. Albanese replied that his government welcomed progressing cooperation under their decade-old bilateral free trade agreement. 'Australia will remain a strong supporter of free and fair trade,' Albanese said. The United States has allocated Australia the minimum 10% tariff on U.S. imports. Australia argues that any tariff cannot be justified and that the U.S. has enjoyed a trade surplus with Australia for decades. The greater economic damage for Australia would likely be from a Chinese economic downturn caused by its U.S. tariff treatment. Around a third of Australian exports go to China. Australia shifts away from the US James Laurenceson, director of the University of Technology Sydney's Australia-China Relations Institute, described China's presentation of itself as Australia's ally in defending free trade as 'self-serving." 'It's not so much Australia aligning with China. It's really just about Australia and China agreeing they've got a shared interest in the existing system, and it's the U.S. that's walking away from that,' Laurenceson said. 'I don't think the big shift this week is Australia getting closer to China. I think the distance with the United States is getting wider and wider,' he added. Albanese's political enemies have criticised him for now having four face-to-face meetings with Xi – including two in Beijing – while the prime minister has yet to meet Trump in person. Albanese and Trump were to hold a one-on-one meeting on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit in Canada last month, but the U.S. president left early. Albanese said this week he expected to meet Trump this year. 'I look forward to a constructive engagement with President Trump. We have had three constructive phone conversations,' Albanese said. ______ McGuirk contributed to this report from Melbourne, Australia Solve the daily Crossword
Arab Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Arab Times
Australian PM indulges in panda diplomacy as China state visit nears end
Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reacts as he attends a zoo with retired Adelaide Zoo panda Fu Ni at a park in Chengdu, China on July 17. (AP) BEIJING, July 17, (AP): Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited a panda breeding facility in the final stages of an extended state visit that has cast China as a fellow champion of a global fair trade system under threat from the United States. The panda diplomacy stop Thursday in the central Chinese city of Chengdu highlighted Australia's special status as the only Southern Hemisphere country to host a pair of the rare Chinese native animals. Albanese and his fiancée Jodie Haydon visited a pen where they saw Fu Ni, a giant panda who had been on loan to Australia's Adelaide Zoo until last year. "A great ambassador for China and a great friend of Australia,' Albanese said of Fu Ni as she chomped on bamboo. Premier Li Qiang used a visit to the Adelaide Zoo last year to announce Fu Ni and her partner Wang Wang would be replaced by another China-born pair that will hopefully breed. The new couple, Xing Qiu and Yi Yan, made their public debut in January at the zoo in the South Australia state capital where they are a major tourist attraction. Albanese's China, which began Saturday and ends on Friday, is extraordinarily long compared with Australian state visits over the past decade and marks a normalization of bilateral relations that plumbed to new depths under the previous Australian government. Albanese said he had visited Chengdu and the Great Wall of China, as well at the usual diplomatic destinations of Beijing and Shanghai, as a show of respect to the Chinese people. "The Great Wall of China symbolises the extraordinary history and culture here in China, and showing a bit of respect to people never cost anything. But you know what it does? It gives you a reward,' Albanese told reporters. "One of the things that I find about giving countries respect is that you get it back,' he added. In 2020, Beijing banned minister-to-minister contacts and imposed a series of official and unofficial trade barriers on commodities including wine, beef, coal, barley and lobsters that cost Australian exporters up to 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion) a year. This was a response to Australia's previous government demanding an independent inquiry into the causes of and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic was the final straw, relations had been deteriorating for years over issues including laws banning covert foreign interference in Australian politics and Australia banning Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei on security grounds from involvement in the national 5G network rollout.
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Australian prime minister indulges in panda diplomacy as China state visit nears end
BEIJING (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited a panda breeding facility in the final stages of an extended state visit that has cast China as a fellow champion of a global fair trade system under threat from the United States. The panda diplomacy stop Thursday in the central Chinese city of Chengdu highlighted Australia's special status as the only Southern Hemisphere country to host a pair of the rare Chinese native animals. Albanese and his fiancée Jodie Haydon visited a pen where they saw Fu Ni, a giant panda who had been on loan to Australia's Adelaide Zoo until last year. 'A great ambassador for China and a great friend of Australia,' Albanese said of Fu Ni as she chomped on bamboo. China loans Australia pandas Premier Li Qiang used a visit to the Adelaide Zoo last year to announce Fu Ni and her partner Wang Wang would be replaced by another China-born pair that will hopefully breed . The new couple, Xing Qiu and Yi Yan, made their public debut in January at the zoo in the South Australia state capital where they are a major tourist attraction. Albanese's China, which began Saturday and ends on Friday, is extraordinarily long compared with Australian state visits over the past decade and marks a normalization of bilateral relations that plumbed to new depths under the previous Australian government. Albanese said he had visited Chengdu and the Great Wall of China, as well at the usual diplomatic destinations of Beijing and Shanghai, as a show of respect to the Chinese people. 'The Great Wall of China symbolises the extraordinary history and culture here in China, and showing a bit of respect to people never cost anything. But you know what it does? It gives you a reward,' Albanese told reporters. 'One of the things that I find about giving countries respect is that you get it back,' he added. In 2020, Beijing banned minister-to-minister contacts and imposed a series of official and unofficial trade barriers on commodities including wine, beef, coal, barley and lobsters that cost Australian exporters up to 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion) a year. This was a response to Australia's previous government demanding an independent inquiry into the causes of and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic was the final straw, relations had been deteriorating for years over issues including laws banning covert foreign interference in Australian politics and Australia banning Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei on security grounds from involvement in the national 5G network rollout. The trade barriers have all been lifted since Albanese's center-left Labor Party was first elected in 2022. But now, the United States threatens to become a major disruptor to global trade through President Donald Trump's tariff regime. Chinese president urges Australia to hold course Chinese President Xi Jinping told Albanese at the outset of their bilateral meeting in Beijing Tuesday that the important thing their two countries had learned in repairing relations was that equal treatment, seeking common ground and pursuing cooperation served the interests of both. 'No matter how the international landscape may evolve, we should uphold this overall direction unswervingly,' Xi said through an interpreter. The comment was widely interpreted as a reference to U.S. tariffs. Albanese replied that his government welcomed progressing cooperation under their decade-old bilateral free trade agreement. 'Australia will remain a strong supporter of free and fair trade,' Albanese said. The United States has allocated Australia the minimum 10% tariff on U.S. imports. Australia argues that any tariff cannot be justified and that the U.S. has enjoyed a trade surplus with Australia for decades. The greater economic damage for Australia would likely be from a Chinese economic downturn caused by its U.S. tariff treatment. Around a third of Australian exports go to China. Australia shifts away from the US James Laurenceson, director of the University of Technology Sydney's Australia-China Relations Institute, described China's presentation of itself as Australia's ally in defending free trade as 'self-serving." 'It's not so much Australia aligning with China. It's really just about Australia and China agreeing they've got a shared interest in the existing system, and it's the U.S. that's walking away from that,' Laurenceson said. 'I don't think the big shift this week is Australia getting closer to China. I think the distance with the United States is getting wider and wider,' he added. Albanese's political enemies have criticised him for now having four face-to-face meetings with Xi – including two in Beijing – while the prime minister has yet to meet Trump in person. Albanese and Trump were to hold a one-on-one meeting on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit in Canada last month, but the U.S. president left early. Albanese said this week he expected to meet Trump this year.
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Australian prime minister indulges in panda diplomacy a China state visit nears end
BEIJING (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited a panda breeding facility in the final stages of an extended state visit that has cast China as a fellow champion of a global fair trade system under threat from the United States. The panda diplomacy stop Thursday in the central Chinese city of Chengdu highlighted Australia's special status as the only Southern Hemisphere country to host a pair of the rare Chinese native animals. Albanese and his fiancée Jodie Haydon visited a pen where they saw Fu Ni, a giant panda who had been on loan to Australia's Adelaide Zoo until last year. 'A great ambassador for China and a great friend of Australia,' Albanese said of Fu Ni as she chomped on bamboo. China loans Australia pandas Premier Li Qiang used a visit to the Adelaide Zoo last year to announce Fu Ni and her partner Wang Wang would be replaced by another China-born pair that will hopefully breed . The new couple, Xing Qiu and Yi Yan, made their public debut in January at the zoo in the South Australia state capital where they are a major tourist attraction. Albanese's China, which began Saturday and ends on Friday, is extraordinarily long compared with Australian state visits over the past decade and marks a normalization of bilateral relations that plumbed to new depths under the previous Australian government. Albanese said he had visited Chengdu and the Great Wall of China, as well at the usual diplomatic destinations of Beijing and Shanghai, as a show of respect to the Chinese people. 'The Great Wall of China symbolises the extraordinary history and culture here in China, and showing a bit of respect to people never cost anything. But you know what it does? It gives you a reward,' Albanese told reporters. 'One of the things that I find about giving countries respect is that you get it back,' he added. In 2020, Beijing banned minister-to-minister contacts and imposed a series of official and unofficial trade barriers on commodities including wine, beef, coal, barley and lobsters that cost Australian exporters up to 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion) a year. This was a response to Australia's previous government demanding an independent inquiry into the causes of and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic was the final straw, relations had been deteriorating for years over issues including laws banning covert foreign interference in Australian politics and Australia banning Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei on security grounds from involvement in the national 5G network rollout. The trade barriers have all been lifted since Albanese's center-left Labor Party was first elected in 2022. But now, the United States threatens to become a major disruptor to global trade through President Donald Trump's tariff regime. Chinese president urges Australia to hold course Chinese President Xi Jinping told Albanese at the outset of their bilateral meeting in Beijing Tuesday that the important thing their two countries had learned in repairing relations was that equal treatment, seeking common ground and pursuing cooperation served the interests of both. 'No matter how the international landscape may evolve, we should uphold this overall direction unswervingly,' Xi said through an interpreter. The comment was widely interpreted as a reference to U.S. tariffs. Albanese replied that his government welcomed progressing cooperation under their decade-old bilateral free trade agreement. 'Australia will remain a strong supporter of free and fair trade,' Albanese said. The United States has allocated Australia the minimum 10% tariff on U.S. imports. Australia argues that any tariff cannot be justified and that the U.S. has enjoyed a trade surplus with Australia for decades. The greater economic damage for Australia would likely be from a Chinese economic downturn caused by its U.S. tariff treatment. Around a third of Australian exports go to China. Australia shifts away from the US James Laurenceson, director of the University of Technology Sydney's Australia-China Relations Institute, described China's presentation of itself as Australia's ally in defending free trade as 'self-serving.' 'It's not so much Australia aligning with China. It's really just about Australia and China agreeing they've got a shared interest in the existing system, and it's the U.S. that's walking away from that,' Laurenceson said. 'I don't think the big shift this week is Australia getting closer to China. I think the distance with the United States is getting wider and wider,' he added. Albanese's political enemies have criticised him for now having four face-to-face meetings with Xi – including two in Beijing – while the prime minister has yet to meet Trump in person. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Albanese and Trump were to hold a one-on-one meeting on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit in Canada last month, but the U.S. president left early. Albanese said this week he expected to meet Trump this year. 'I look forward to a constructive engagement with President Trump. We have had three constructive phone conversations,' Albanese said. ______ McGuirk contributed to this report from Melbourne, Australia
