Danuri Successfully Enters Lunar Orbit
The Ministry of Science and ICT ("MSIT,"; Minister Lee Jong-Ho) and the Korea Aerospace Research Agency ("KARI,"; President Lee Sang-Yul) announced that Danuri, Korea's first lunar orbiter, was successfully placed in lunar orbit at 6:00 p.m. December 27. After carrying out the third and last lunar orbit insertion (LOI) maneuver* on December 26, Danuri successfully reached its target orbit** and is revolving around the moon every two hours at a speed of 1.62km/s. Every machine and devices on Danuri, also known as the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), are working fine, including the onboard computer and flight-control sensors. It has 93 kg of fuel left from its full tank of 260 kg, enough to serve its yearlong mission throughout 2023. * Lunar orbit insertion (LOI) maneuver: An adjustment process for a space vehicle (Danuri) to lower its speed using thrusters and commit itself to the gravity of the Moon ** The target orbit of Danuri's mission is 100km ± 30km above the moon. As of December 27, Danuri was transferred to an elliptical orbit with a perilune of 104.1 kilometers (the point at which the spacecraft is closest from the body it is orbiting), and with an apoapsis of 119.9km kilometers (the point at which the spacecraft is farthest from the body it is orbiting). Danuri successfully entering lunar orbit is meaning as it proved that Korea has secured space exploration capabilities, and can indigenously build a lunar orbiter that can actually reach the moon. This has layed the groundwork for future space exploration and development of a lunar lander. Next year, Danuri will shift its position so that its payload faces the lunar surface for a yearlong exploration of the surface. Until the end of January 2023, Danuri will be checking the payload functions and correcting errors and distortions. From February 2023, lunar scientific missions (generate polarized images of the lunar surface, take magnetic field and radiation measurements) will be conducted along with testing space internet technology. The images of lunar surface captured by a high-resolution camera, in particular, will be used to support landing site selection for future mission planned for 2032. First Vice Minister of Science and ICT Oh Tae-Seog said, "Korea made history as the seventh country in the world to explore the moon. In the next 10 years and by 2032, we will keep strengthening the nation's space development capacity through various projects including launching of a lunar lander with a homegrown launch vehicle." Please refer to the attached PDF.
Korean Lunar Orbiter Danuri successfully conducts the Lunar Orbit Insertion maneuver
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI, President: Lee Sang-Ryool) announced that the first Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) maneuver was conducted successfully on December 17 at around 02:45. The first LOI is the most important maneuver because it slows down the speed of Danuri to be safely captured by the Moon’s gravity and enter the target orbit. After the first LOI maneuver, a two-day-long trajectory analysis followed, and it was confirmed on December 19 that Danuri slowed down the speed (8,000 km/h → 7,500 km/h) and entered into the elliptical orbit, stably captured by the Moon’s gravity. Four more LOI maneuvers (second ~ fifth) are planned, and the final success of target orbit entrance will be confirmed after one-day-long data analysis after the final LOI maneuver (fifth, 12.28). ※ The remaining LOI schedule: the first LOI (12.17) → the second LOI (12.21) → the third LOI (12.23) → the fourth LOI (12.26) → the fifth LOI and data analysis (12.28) → lunar orbit entrance success confirmation (12.29)For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitpress@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.
The Fifth Science and Technology Master Plan (2023-2027) Announced
The Ministry of Science and ICT (“MSIT”; Minister Lee Jong-Ho) announced that the Fifth Science and Technology Master Plan (2023-2027) was published on December 14 (Wednesday) at the Deliberative Council Meeting of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology (PACST). The Fifth S&T Master Plan is the overarching plan that lays out Korea’s medium-to-long-term goals and basic direction of national scientific and technological development, pursuant to the Framework Act on Science and Technology, and reflects the 29 national tasks of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration related to science and technology; it will be implemented by over 40 ministries, agencies and committees for the next five years. The major elements of the Fifth S&T Master Plan are as the following: 1. Background & Progress Amid a series of grand challenges—namely, global competition for technological dominance, supply chain crisis, climate change, digital transformation, low birth rates, population ageing, and compounding disasters, major countries are concretizing their science and technology strategies and revamping their implementation systems to maintain their technology leadership and address national challenges. Korea has emerged as the tenth largest economy in the world through scientific and technological development. Korea’s quantitative indicators, such as R&D intensity and researcher-to-population ratio, are world-class, and scientific and technological achievements, such as academic papers and triadic patent families, are outstanding. However, there are also concerns over the decreasing research population and capabilities due to population decline, sluggish private R&D investment, and labor mismatch in the R&D sector, which stresses the necessity of securing growth drivers to address the economic downturn. As the role of science and technology is becoming more important than ever amid such global and domestic challenges, the scope of the Fifth S&T Master Plan has been extended to include strategies that will help Korea address national and/or global challenges and become a leading nation for science and technology; the previous versions were focused on improving R&D system and developing technologies. A committee composed of about 120 private-sector experts from industry, academia and research institutes, encompassing sectors from economy and society to humanities, was established (December 2021) to identify tasks in consideration of the role of science and technology in economy, society and culture. The general public also provided diverse input through the Participative Online Platform for Science and Technology or the Civic Engagement Group (30 people). Moreover, Science and Technology Industry Meetings (October 21, November 3) and public hearings (November 7, November 11) were held to receive comments from the public and develop policies based on people’s opinions and participation. 2. Vision & Major Objectives The Fifth S&T Master Plan, with the vision of creating “A Bold Future Led by Science, Technology and Innovation,” has the following objectives: 1) Strengthen national R&D strategies, 2) Foster an innovative S&T ecosystem led by the private sector, and 3) Address national challenges with S&T. (Stronger R&D Strategies) To address challenges Korea is facing, the MSIT will set concrete missions and deadlines and establish a Mission-oriented R&D Innovation System to accomplish those missions, in order to pool its policy resources for areas that need urgent responses, such as nurturing critical and emerging technologies and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. (Private Sector-led) Korea will expand private-sector’s participation in policy making process by operating a public-private consultative group on a regular basis to reflect the private sector’s demand in all stages of national R&D strategies, from their planning to investment, and foster a science and technology innovation ecosystem that is centered around the private sector by developing an innovation capacity evaluation system to provide tailored support to businesses. (Address Grand Challenges) Korea will address socioeconomic issues faced by the country, such as carbon neutrality, digital transformation and disasters/crises, with science and technology, while proactively responding to future challenges directly related to the survival of the country, such as supply chain/resources and space/ocean. In order to implement these along with the vision and major objectives, three strategies, 17 tasks and 50 subtasks have been suggested, and the government will develop a progress evaluation system for each strategy and task to facilitate the implementation of the Fifth S&T Master Plan and continuously provide feedback. 3. Pillars 【Strategy Ⅰ】 Advance S&T System for Qualitative Growth ❶ (Mission-oriented) To prepare for the age of competition for technology dominance, Korea will secure its technological sovereignty by nurturing and managing twelve critical and emerging technologies. The Korean government will introduce a Mission-oriented R&D System for addressing national challenges, such as critical and emerging strategies and carbon neutrality, and promote high-risk and challenging research projects to secure irreplaceable original technologies. * Set missions → Develop R&D strategy implementation plans → Make strategic investments and implement the strategies flexibly → Assess mission accomplishment ❷ (Research Environment) A long-term researcher support program (up to 10 years) will be created to ensure a stable, researcher-centered research environment. The government will also promote open and joint use of research data and equipment to accelerate a qualitative growth of research outcomes, while facilitating a smooth adoption of the researcher-centered research support system. ❸ (R&D Achievement) Regulations will be improved to boost, spread, use and protect outstanding research outcomes. To promote strategic and efficient investment, the government will allocate and coordinate inter-governmental budget and secure the timeliness of R&D investment by introducing a fast-track system for preliminary feasibility study and increasing the limit of preliminary feasibility study criteria. The private sector will be encouraged to take part in all stages of R&D and the support for scaling up R&D will be expanded. ❹ (Key Talent) Amid the rapidly changing technological/economic/social landscapes, Korea will focus on nurturing and securing key research workforce for emerging industries and technologies. It will also use the “contract quota system” and “contract department system” for high-tech industries, such as semiconductor, to attract outstanding foreign talent, while supporting mathematics and science capacity building at primary and secondary schools and expanding re-skilling of incumbent workers. ❺ (Science as Culture) The government will provide support for “Science Communication Fellowship” to expand communication between the general public and scientists and researchers to lay a stronger foundation for science and technology across the society and culture. “Neighbourhood Science Museums (tentative)” and online scientific content will be developed and distributed to promote science as culture that can be enjoyed in daily lives. 【Strategy Ⅱ】 Improve Innovation Capabilities and Foster an Open Ecosystem ❶ (Private Sector-Led) A comprehensive support that encompasses R&D/commercialization, finance and regulation to improve the private sector’s innovation capabilities. Business R&D support, such as the five-stage tailored innovation R&D support at business affiliated research institutes, will be advanced with a focus on technology innovation, and industry-specific private R&D cooperation standing committees will be operated to reflect businesses’ demand in government R&D planning and investment. ❷ (University & Government-funded Research Institutes) The government will nurture universities as research hubs to facilitate the accumulation of R&D outcomes and capabilities, such as universities’ technologies, workforce, equipment and data, and assign specific missions to each government-funded research institutes to secure critical and emerging technologies. ❸ (Starting Businesses) Ministry of Education, Science and ICT, SMEs and Startups and other Ministries shall work with together to create and advance the virtuous cycle of startups by providing support focused on starting deep tech-based businesses, discovering prospective items, growing the scale, and starting over. Government fund of funds (FOF) and other financial support measures shall be closely coordinated to provide support. ❹ (Regional Innovation) Installation of dedicated regional institutes for science and technology shall be expanded to 17 cities and provinces. Regional Science and Technology Strategy Meeting will be newly launched to closely coordinate policies and budgets between the central and local governments. Pivoting on regional R&D hubs, R&D on growth engines tailored for each region will be strengthened. ❺ (S&T Diplomacy) Centering on the SDGs, the government will secure a leadership position in S&T and revitalize overseas support hubs to provide full support to domestic businesses to enter overseas markets. The MSIT plans to advance diplomatic cooperation in S&T by taking the lead in setting international S&T and ICT agendas, and expanding strategic international joint researches. 【Strategy Ⅲ】 Resolving National Pending Issues through S&T and Preparing for Future ❶ (Carbon Neutrality) In order to contribute to achieving the 2030 NDC and 2050 Carbon Neutrality Goal, Korea will establish a strategic plan to implement critical technologies to achieve carbon neutrality, secure critical technologies for energy independence and low carbon emission for key industries, and build a scientific response system. * Evaluation guidelines for R&D, planning, and investment in carbon neutrality will be utilized. ❷ (Digital Transformation) The government will secure critical technologies including intelligent semiconductors, 6G mobile communications, and quantum technologies and make preparations in advance to speed up the diffusion of digital transformation by digitalizing the overall industries and nurturing new industries. The connection between the public and private data platform will be expanded, and tailor-made data will be diffused to all areas. ❸ (Health and Welfare) Intelligent technologies will be actively utilized as a means to prepare for the health and welfare demand that will be increased drastically due to low birth rate and aging population. A foundation to utilize personal health information will be laid to ensure healthy lives for people, by realizing customized health care. Also, the government will grow the scale of R&D in synthetic biology, digital biotechnology and other advanced biotechnologies, at the same time focusing on enhancing regulations that undermine the development of bio-industry. ❹ (Disaster and Crisis Management) Korea will use science and technology to take preemptive measures against future risks and build a safe society. The government will operate a disaster and safety data-sharing platform and develop damage mitigation technologies to establish disaster and safety management system. Also, the government will develop disaster scenarios to manage future risks, thereby strengthening the social resilience and capacity to respond to disasters. ❺ (Supply Chain & Resources) Korea will boost R&D for technological independence in critical items in order to secure strategic autonomy of our industries and respond to the reshuffling of the global supply chain. The government will also build stronger global supply chain management capacity by carrying out joint explorations of resources such as minerals, energy and food with international parties, and conducting research on overseas production such as resources. ❻ (National Defense & Security) Korea will bolster investment in emerging future technologies, such as artificial intelligence, in connection with strategic defense technologies to secure cutting-edge S&T capacity in national defense. Through many forms of flexible private-military cooperation and international cooperation, Korea will nurture strong military forces equipped with S&T, defending the national sovereignty in cyber space. ❼ (Space & Ocean) Korea will continue to push for the development of the next-generation launch vehicle and the lunar exploration project in order to expand our space territory, reinforcing international cooperation. The government plans to redouble its efforts in developing exploration technology to study the unexplored territories in the oceans and polar regions, so as to improve access and make use of those areas. 4. Key Technologies to Nurture : National Strategic Technologies The Fifth S&T Master Plan presents the 12 National Strategic Technologies* to nurture with key focus over the next five years (announced at the First General Meeting of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology, November 2022). The Mission-Centered R&D Innovation System has been implemented with the goal of securing a super gap in technologies by mobilizing all capacities of the government and the private sector. * ①Semiconductor and display, ②secondary battery, ③advanced mobility, ④next-gen nuclear power, ⑤advanced biotechnology, ⑥aerospace and marine technology, ⑦hydrogen, ⑧cyber security, ⑨AI, ⑩next-gen communications, ⑪advanced robotics and manufacturing, ⑫quantum technology. For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (E-mail: msitpress@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT. Please refer to the attached PDF.
Information Brochure on the MSIT
Minister Lim Hyesook visits AAAS to encourage Scientific Collaboration
https://www.aaas.org/news/visit-lim-hye-sook-encourages-scientific-collaborationVisit from Lim Hye Sook Encourages Scientific Collaboration20 December 2021by: Emily HughesSouth Korean Minister of Science and ICT Minister Lim Hye Sook, and a delegation from the Ministry and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea visited the American Association for the Advancement of Science on Dec. 14 to meet with AAAS CEO Sudip Parikh and Science journals editor-in-chief Holden Thorp. Parikh and Lim discussed the important scientific relationship between both countries. They also touched on issues such as critical technologies, increasing opportunities for women in STEM and science diplomacy. The visit follows the U.S. – Korea Presidential Summit in May between President Biden and President Moon. During their meeting, both leaders committed to “strengthening their partnership in civil space exploration, science, and aeronautics research.” Shortly following, Minister Lim signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of the South Korean ministry, joining an international agreement that establishes guiding principles for space exploration.Lim’s trip to Washington, D.C. included meetings with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Science Foundation and the Federal Communication Commission in an effort to continue fostering scientific discourse between both countries. Lim referenced the meeting between Biden and Moon in her conversation with Parikh, calling her delegation’s visit an effort to reaffirm the strength of the alliance between the two countries.Lim and her delegation spoke on South Korea’s work in emerging technologies, an area Minister Lim has placed particular emphasis on during her time as Minister of Science and ICT, where she is responsible for administering Korea’s Digital New Deal. The initiative aims to boost investment in technologies like 5G, big data, and artificial intelligence and lay the groundwork for a digital economy. Lim added that South Korea is hoping to work with the U.S. in these areas.They also discussed the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in the sciences, which AAAS has placed particular emphasis on in recent years. Lim and her delegation stressed the importance of encouraging women in STEM fields. Lim shared her personal experience, which includes being the first female Minister of Science and ICT. Throughout their conversation, Parikh and Lim emphasized the importance of collaboration between both countries. Lim said that South Korea has seen “tangible outcomes” from working together in cutting edge technologies. She encouraged further “talent exchanges in STEM.” Parikh agreed, calling the ability to collaborate “critical to our success” and adding that “our cooperation is critical to make sure that future advances happen for the good of all.”At the close of her visit, Lim and Parikh exchanged gifts. Lim presented Parikh with a King Diadem Ornament framed in a velvet shadowbox, a hopeful symbol of collaborations to comePlease refer to the attached PDF
2021 ICT Ministerial Meeting (Dec. 1)
A New Normal,Rebuilding an Inclusive Society Through Digital: Promoting Broadband Connectivityand Digital Inclusion○ Background and introduction Currently the entire world is striving to overcome the COVID-19 crisis and we are realizing the benefits of digital technologies that can help respond to threats effectively and maintain communication among people. Digital technologies has come to function as a core system for society as a whole, more than just convenience. The other side of COVID-19 crisis as a catalyst for digital transformation suggests that it can serve as a tool for technological innovation and transformation into the New Normal era depending on how each country approaches the current crisis. However, at the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic shed new light on the grave challenges related to digital technologies. While digital technologies make it possible to learn and work at home in an environment with Internet access, not everyone can enjoy such a benefit. The marginalized people who are not guaranteed sufficient access to the Internet and digital technologies are suffering from social inequality and discrimination as well as discomfort in their daily lives. ICT Ministers Meeting was promoted from 2005 in order to share the policy experience and vision of various nations in ICT areas and devise methods of cooperation. Now it is time to come up with policies that can enable everyone to carry out economic activities and pursue a better quality of life using digital technologies. ICT Ministerial Meeting 2021 will be a valuable opportunity for participating countries to share their respective policies and vision under the theme of ‘A New Normal, Rebuilding an Inclusive Society Through Digital: Promoting Broadband Connectivity and Digital Inclusion’. ○ Overview - Date / Venue: 1 December(Wed), 2021, at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnass Hotel - Host / Organizer: Ministry of Science and ICT, National IT Industry Promotion Agency - Theme: ‘A New Normal, Rebuilding an Inclusive Society Through Digital: Promoting Broadband Connectivity and Digital Inclusion’ Please refer to the attached PDF
Three Proposals for International Standards by the National Radio Research Agency of Korea on Ensuring the Security of Vehicular Communications in the Final Stage Before Adoption in the ITU
The National Radio Research Agency under the Ministry of Science and ICT (“MSIT”; Minister Lee Jong-Ho) announced that three international standards developed by Korea, including intelligent transportation system communication devices, were adopted in advance* and three new standard development tasks, including quantum cryptography communication, were approved at the “International Telecommunication Union’s Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) Information Security Study Group 17 (SG17*)” (Chairman: Mr. Heung Youl YOUM, Professor of Soonchunhyang University) which was held in Geneva, Switzerland from August 23 to September 2. * This refers to Last Call phase, which is a phrase right before the final adoption of standards. The proposed standards are finally adopted after being circulated to member states and if there is no objection. １ Three Last Call international standard proposals related to vehicular communications security In recent years, there is a growing security threats to vehicular communication as more vehicles are connected to the network and relevant technologies have advanced enough to enable autonomous driving. In response, Korea made years of efforts to develop a standard for vehicular communications security based on collaboration between the industry, academia and research institutes (Korea University, ETAS Korea, ETRI, Hyundai Motor Company). Three related proposals were adopted in advance as international standards at the meeting of ITU-T SG17. The adopted Last Call proposals include ① Guidelines for sharing security threat information on connected vehicles, ② Security guidelines for cloud-based data recorders in automotive environments, and ③ Security guidelines for Ethernet-based In-Vehicle networks. It is expected that such standards will have postitive implications well beyond contributing to ensure the security and safety of the vehicular network, as they can be used as objective and reliable references for auto insurance companies in analyzing the cause of vehicle accidents and settling disputes. ２ Three new work items on topics including quantum cryptography communication added to the SG17 Work Programme Among the new work items agreed to be added to the SG17 Work Programme, the following items were proposed by Korea: ① Security requirements for Quantum Key Distribution Network interworking (QKDNi), ② Supplement to X.1813**: Security deployment models and requirements for the operation of C-V2X services supporting ultra-reliable and low latency communication (URLLC), ③ Security guidelines for electric vehicle plug and charge (PnC) service using vehicle identity (VID). The development of the proposals for the new work items were led by MagData, Sooncheonhyang University, Hyundai AutoEver, SK Telecom, and TTA. Research to develop relevant standards are slated to begin this year. * C-V2X refers to Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything ** X.1813: Security requirements for operation of vertical services supporting ultra reliable and low latency communication (URLLC) in IMT-2020 private networks Supplement: documents that are complementary to or related to a standard, but not essential for understanding and implementation A spokesperson from the National Radio Research Agency said, "The goal is to realize a digital powerhouse that ensures safety, at this tumultuous time when cyber threats are growing in all areas of society, while the pace of digital innovation accelerating at the same time. Building on Korea's strong data protection capacity, we will continue efforts to lead the development of international standards by working closely with experts from the industry, academia, and research institutes.” For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (E-mail: msitpress@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.
RRA’s Five International Standard Proposals for 5G, Cloud Computing, and Quantum Cryptography Communication Technology Were Adopted by ITU
The National Radio Research Agency (RRA) under the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT, Minister Lee Jong-ho) announced, "At the ITU-T Future Networks Study Group (SG13*) held in Geneva, Switzerland from July 4 to 15, five international standard proposals for 5G, cloud computing, and quantum cryptography (Head of the Korean Delegation: Dr. Kim Hyung-soo from KT) developed by Korea were consented**. Korea also secured 11 leadership positions for the SG13." * SG13: Study group on setting and revising standards related to future networks ** The stage just before the final adoption of a standard; if there is no disagreement through circulation among member countries, the standard is adopted. [Five International Standard Proposals Consented] ① The “Requirements and framework for jitter guarantee in large scale networks including IMT-2020 and beyond” standard prevents data delay in large scale networks, providing stable and secure services. Based on this, the standard is expected to contribute to the promotion of industries related to ultra-low latency services in 5G, Internet, and the metaverse. * Jitter: The amount of change in latency of data transmitted and received ② The “Cloud computing – Functional requirements of cloud service partner for multi-cloud” standard, which is the first Korean-led development of multi-cloud technology standard, provides the concept and functional requirements of multi-cloud. ③ The “Cloud computing – Global Management Framework of Distributed Cloud” standard defines the requirements of distributed cloud, a core 5G application technology. The two standards are expected to create a broader new market for the existing cloud computing environment and serve as a guide. ** Multi-Cloud: An environment that uses cloud services from two or more cloud providers simultaneously *** Distributed Cloud: Cloud on a network close to service users, not on a central server ④ The “Quantum key distribution networks (QKDN) - Functional architecture for quality of service assurance” and ⑤ “Quantum key distribution networks – Requirements for machine learning based quality of service assurance” standards are about technologies for guaranteeing the quality of quantum cryptography communication networks that are drawing attention as one of the security communication technologies for the future. It is expected that they will greatly contribute to the establishment of quantum cryptography communication networks that use these technologies and the commercialization through service quality assessment. As a new study period (2022-2024) began after the World Telecommunications Standardization Assembly (WTSA) held in March, the reorganization of the leadership positions of the Future Network Study Group (three Working Parties, 13 Questions under Study) was discussed. Korea secured 11 leadership positions for the SG13—9 seats re-elected and two seats additionally elected, including the working parties in the cloud and big data sectors and the JCA-ML* whose establishment was led by Korea. * JCA-ML : Group that jointly coordinates standardization activities between study groups and cooperates with other standardization organizations such as ISO/IEC to prevent duplication of machine learning standards development within ITU-T The RRA said, "We will continue to work with industry, academia and research institutions to lead international standardization activities in future network fields such as quantum, space, 6G, artificial intelligence and cloud." For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (E-mail: msitpress@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT or Deputy Director Park Mun-cheol (E-mail: pmc0125@korea.kr) of the National Radio Research Agency.
UNIST to Develop Key Technologies for Next-generation, Highly Integrated Semiconductors
The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT, Minister: Lee Jong-Ho) announced that the research team* led by Professor Hyeon Suk Shin at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has successfully developed the technologies that can demonstrate single-crystal multi-layered hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN)** for the world’s first time. * (Co-corresponding authors) Hyeon Suk Shin (UNIST), Feng Ding (UNIST), Rodney Ruoff (UNIST), Manish Chhowalla (University of Cambridge, UK) (Co-first author) Kyung Yeol Ma (UNIST), Leining Zhang (UNIST) ** hBN : hexagonal Boron Nitride On June 2, the results from this research, which was conducted thanks to the support from the Future Technology Research Lab, Leadership Research, and Basic Research Lab Project of the Ministry of Science and ICT, were published in Nature, an international academic journal. hBN is known as the only two-dimensional (2D) insulating material, that can prevent degradation of functions such as charge trap and charge scattering, which may occur from next-generation, highly integrated semiconductors. Next-generation, highly integrated semiconductors deploy technologies, which can solve issues including leakage current and heat generation, by converting silicon into molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), which is 2D semiconductor, and increase the level of integration in chips. However, this highly integrated semiconductor requires an insulator that physically separates wafer from MoS2, because a charge trap occurs when MoS2 is in direct contact with the wafer. In addition, as to prevent charge scattering, the insulating material should be the same 2D material as MoS2. Since 2D materials are connected to each other in 2D flat surface, charge scattering, which may be a problem in three-dimensional structure like silicon, does not occur here. Until now, the development of a technology that can synthesize 2D insulating material in a single cystal form that has appropriate thickness, enough to be used in semiconductor devices, has been a challenge. The research team was able to synthesize hBN single crystal that can be adjusted in thickness, through a new synthesis method, capable of adjusting the level of concentration of materials required for synthesis. Although cases of synthesizing hBN large enough for commercial launch have been published in Nature and Science so far, this is the first time in the world that a single crystal has been synthesized in the form of multi-layered thin film. Professor Hyeon Suk Shin talked about the significance of this research by saying that, "Thanks to this study, we could develop technologies for synthesizing materials, that can solve physical limits of traditional highly integrated semiconductors, which are represented by the Moore's Law." Professor Shin went on to say that "As it is frequently reported that hBN can be used in not only semiconductors but also hydrogen fuel cell electrolyte membranes, next-generation secondary battery electrode materials, and quantum light sources, additional research should be carried out actively to secure fundamental technologies for material production." For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (E-mail: msitpress@korea.kr), Deputy Director Hong Seok-beom (E-mail: doinbul@korea.kr) or Deputy Director Moon Yeong-geun (E-mail: ykmoon@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.