South Korea launches K-Science to fuse culture with science, unveils Research24 portal
The South Korean government unveiled a plan to fuse science with the country’s history and culture, launching a storytelling-based “K-Science” strategy and a consolidated research portal called “Research24.” The plan aims to finalize its framework in the second quarter and roll out the new portal with a June launch.
Park In-gyu, head of the Science, Technology and Innovation Headquarters at the Ministry of Science and ICT, described the approach at a briefing during the National Science and Technology Advisory Council. He said Korea should develop a new science paradigm that combines unique elements of the nation’s history, culture and environment with economic and social advancement.
Officials argue that previous R&D policies focused on securing strategic technologies in ways that were hard for ordinary people to grasp. A storytelling-based science culture, they say, could better engage the public and broaden support for research and innovation beyond elite circles.
A central theme is to shift toward more Korea-led research groups. Although Korean scientists participate in many international projects, there is a perceived shortage of structures that enable researchers to lead major projects themselves. The plan seeks to identify areas where Korean researchers can take the lead.
Implementation hinges on assembling an “agenda pool” from projects proposed by each ministry and subjecting it to expert review and policy coordination. The government intends to finalize and start implementing the K-Science strategy in the second quarter.
Beyond K-Science, the Innovation Headquarters will push a cross-ministerial technology management framework and upgrade the NEXT—New, Emerging, and Exponential Technology—national strategy. The aim is to strengthen industrial leadership and secure leadership in future innovative technologies, with concrete details to be announced in the second quarter.
Officials also outlined steps to ensure R&D results are more widely disseminated. Plans include policies to boost researcher entrepreneurship, support technology transfer organizations, and strengthen the capacity of commercialization bodies.
A key practical reform is the streamlined access to major national R&D systems. The government plans to unify login procedures so researchers can sign in once and access multiple platforms, replacing multiple IDs and passwords. Separate research-support systems will be integrated under the IRIS platform by 2028, with researchers able to enroll across systems more efficiently.
Park likened the move to Government24, the government portal that simplified public services, saying Research24 could become a similar one-stop hub for researchers once launched in June. He emphasized that the goal is to make government research infrastructure easier to use for scientists and institutions.
For international readers, the plan signals Korea’s intent to strengthen its role in global science and technology. By accelerating Korea-led research, embedding science in national narratives, and unifying its research infrastructure, Seoul aims to deepen collaboration, bolster supply-chain resilience in sectors like semiconductors, biotech and AI, and shape future standards and cooperation with the United States and other partners.