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Korea Herald
a day ago
- Science
- Korea Herald
Korea steps up as science connector in Asia-Pacific
Science Ministry invites over 100 APAC researchers for mentoring, joint lab training ahead of APEC summit in October South Korea, once considered a scientific backwater, is now solidifying its position as a regional leader in fostering cooperation among science communities in the Asia-Pacific region. As part of its broader global initiative, the Ministry of Science and ICT is launching a program to invite scientists from across the region ahead of the upcoming APEC summit to be hosted by Korea in October. 'For scientists seeking new technological experiences, Korea is, in my opinion, the number one country in the APAC region — particularly in the semiconductor sector,' said Chaikarn Liewhiran, a physics and materials science professor at Thailand's Chiang Mai University, during an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Thursday. 'Korea is a prime example of how the semiconductor industry can lead to commercial success. I believe we can achieve innovative scientific goals through collaboration between Thailand and Korea. That's precisely why I joined this program,' Liewhiran added. Mark Dennis Usang, a research officer at the Malaysian Nuclear Agency and fellow participant in the Science Ministry's 'APAC Scientist Invitation Program" held from May 26 to June 6, echoed Liewhiran's view. 'In terms of basic science, including fundamental physics, I think Japan is still slightly ahead. But when it comes to applications, Korea is excelling and has nearly closed the gap with Japan in the overall technology sector,' Usang said. Usang also praised Korea's scientific funding system, calling it more efficient than Malaysia's. He noted that Malaysian scientists must navigate a series of complicated procedures to receive government funding, often forcing them to build their own equipment, which both increases costs and delays research. Under the program, Liewhiran and Usang took part in mentoring activities aligned with their areas of expertise alongside Korean professors. Usang recalled a three-day collaboration with Ha Chang-hyon, a physics professor at Chung-Ang University, which led to a breakthrough in his future research using cost-effective, easy-to-make equipment. Before meeting Professor Ha, Usang said he hadn't realized how little effort it takes to assemble a plastic particle detector, which uses similar materials to PET bottles. With adjustments, such as crushing and melting the plastic, the material can be transformed into a functional detector capable of analyzing cosmic particles. 'Professor Ha explained how to make it and how it works. I've studied several detectors before, but I didn't know about this method. I was really surprised, enlightened and very happy,' Usang said. Liewhiran also noted that he had inspiring discussions with Yoon Young-gui, a physics professor at Chung-Ang University, and Yoon Jung-gi, a professor at Kyung Hee University. 'I learned so much from speaking with the professors, who are true experts in semiconductor technologies. We need to learn from Korea's strong competitiveness in this market,' said Liewhiran. 'They gave us valuable ideas to improve our research, which could ultimately drive our products or prototypes toward commercialization.' As part of the APEC Scientist Exchange Initiative, the Science Ministry plans to invite over 100 scientists from the region through two formats: a 10-day mentoring program and a 90-day training program involving joint research in Korean laboratories from June through July. Participants must hold a Ph.D. or a Master's degree with at least three years of work experience. The recently concluded 10-day mentoring program brought together 21 scientists from Malaysia, Thailand and Peru. For its upcoming initiative, the ministry plans to expand participation to include scientists from Indonesia and the Philippines specializing in chemistry, bioscience, geoscience and other fields. The goal is to reach more than 100 participants across both programs. To support visiting scientists, the Science Ministry has streamlined the visa and immigration process to facilitate easier entry into Korea. hyejin2@
Korea Herald
09-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Korea ranks 10th in OECD for int'l student growth
The number of international students enrolled in South Korean universities has significantly increased, placing South Korea 10th among OECD member countries in terms of growth in foreign student numbers, according to a recent report by the Science Ministry and the Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning. OECD data shows total international student enrollment in member countries rose from 3 million in 2014 to over 4.6 million in 2022. The organization explained that this surge was partly attributed to the country's 'Study Korea 300K Project,' which aims to attract 300,000 foreign students and turn South Korea into a global education hub. The project kicked off in 2023. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the number of international students hosted by OECD countries rose by 18 percent between 2018 and 2022, according to the report. This figure, however, was lower than the rise of over 30 percent seen between 2014 and 2018. But the organization explained that the universities' ability to adapt to new challenges, diverse policies implemented during and after the pandemic to support international students, like flexible visa regulations and extended work opportunities, led to a rise in global student mobility in general. Only five countries -- Australia, Denmark, Italy, New Zealand and the United States -- saw a fall in the number of international students they hosted between 2018 and 2022 due to the migration, health restrictions and more restrictive student visa policies applied during the COVID-19, according to the OECD. Meanwhile, the number of Korean nationals studying abroad has decreased. In 2018, there were 96,603 Korean students who studied overseas. But the number fell to 82,384 in 2022, causing South Korea to be moved from fifth to eighth place on another OECD list of the countries with the highest number of students studying abroad. The organization revealed that China and India remained the two biggest sources of overseas students, together accounting for around 30 percent of the total number of foreign students enrolled in OECD countries in both 2018 and 2022. sj_lee@
Korea Herald
09-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Korea ranks 10th in OECD for int'l student growth
The number of international students enrolled in South Korean universities has significantly increased, placing South Korea 10th among OECD member countries in terms of growth in foreign student numbers, according to a recent report by the Science Ministry and the Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning. OECD data shows total international student enrollment in member countries rose from 3 million in 2014 to over 4.6 million in 2022. The organization explained that this surge was partly attributed to the country's 'Study Korea 300K Project,' which aims to attract 300,000 foreign students and turn South Korea into a global education hub. The project kicked off in 2023. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the number of international students hosted by OECD countries rose by 18 percent between 2018 and 2022, according to the report. This figure, however, was lower than the rise of over 30 percent seen between 2014 and 2018. But the organization explained that the universities' ability to adapt to new challenges, diverse policies implemented during and after the pandemic to support international students, like flexible visa regulations and extended work opportunities, led to a rise in global student mobility in general. Only five countries -- Australia, Denmark, Italy, New Zealand and the United States -- saw a fall in the number of international students they hosted between 2018 and 2022 due to the migration, health restrictions and more restrictive student visa policies applied during the COVID-19, according to the OECD. Meanwhile, the number of Korean nationals studying abroad has decreased. In 2018, there were 96,603 Korean students who studied overseas. But the number fell to 82,384 in 2022, causing South Korea to be moved from fifth to eighth place on another OECD list of the countries with the highest number of students studying abroad. The organization revealed that China and India remained the two biggest sources of overseas students, together accounting for around 30 percent of the total number of foreign students enrolled in OECD countries in both 2018 and 2022.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Killing of student in Iranian capital sparks protests
The killing of a student in the Iranian capital Tehran has sparked a nationwide outcry, with further protests expected on Sunday. Iranian media reported that the student was robbed and stabbed to death in Tehran last Wednesday by unknown attackers. According to the Mizan news agency, which is linked to the Iranian judiciary, several suspects have already been detained and intensive investigations are ongoing "around the clock," with the judiciary speaking of a murder case. The death of the man, a 19-year-old economics student, prompted demonstrations by students on the university campus in Tehran on Friday. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the Science Ministry to investigate the alleged robbery and murder, while government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani called for calm and open dialogue in a statement on X. Government interventions on individual cases are rare and in this case likely due to fears that the incident will cause widespread unrest. A well-known campus newsletter has already published new calls for protests on Sunday. In the newsletter, the anonymous authors demand more security at universities, instead of surveillance by law enforcement officers. A lack of future prospects, political repression and the poor economic situation are causing great dissatisfaction in Iran, especially among young people. In September 2022, the death of a young Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody triggered nationwide protests.
