MSIT announces the Plan for the Establishment of the International Science & Business Belt (2023-2030)

- Improving the living environment and providing support for commercialization of R&D outcomes  The Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Lee Jong Ho, hereinafter referred to as "MSIT"), in accordance with the "2nd Basic Plan for the International Science & Business Belt* (2022-2030)," announced the "Execution Plan for the Establishment of the International Science & Business Belt (2023-2030)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Execution Plan") and its implementation, which aims to develop the Central Districts of the Science Belt (located in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon) into a "global science and industry ecosystem."  * International Science & Business Belt (hereinafter referred to as the "Science Belt"): The Science Belt is a designated area where the Central Districts and Functional Districts are interconnected to build a world-class basic research environment, and integrate basic research and business in a comprehensive and systematic way. Central Districts, located in Sin-dong, Dungok, and Doryong in Daejeon, serve basic research functions, and Functional Districts, located in Sejong, Cheongju, and Cheonan, carry out commercialization functions.   The Execution Plan was developed in order to improve the living environment of the Science Belt Central Districts, regarding transportation, education, and housing, and to support commercialization of research and development (R&D) outcomes, as stipulated by the "2nd Basic Plan for the Science Belt." During the development process, detailed tasks were deliberated through discussions with local government authorities and other relevant organizations*. * Daejeon Metropolitan City, National Agency for Administrative City Construction (NAACC), Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH), Korea Innovation Foundation   Whereas the "1st Basic Plan for the Science Belt" focused on infrastructure-building and construction of foundations, this Execution Plan is set to drive the continuous development of the Science Belt into an "open research hub with improved living environment that accommodates international standards." To achieve this, the following four strategic tasks were suggested.  [Strategic task 1] Improving transportation  - Accessibility to the Science Belt, and balanced and mutual development with the Chungcheong Region will be promoted with the expansion of public transportation that connects to Sejong and Daejeon central urban areas, and the establishment of a regional road network.  - A Science Belt station will be installed on the B1 route of the Osong-Daejeon Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) by 2025. A design commission for establishing a regional road network connecting Bugang Station (Gyeongbu Line)-Science Belt-North Daejeon Interchange will also be completed by the first half of 2025.  [Strategic task 2] Securing education environment  - Necessary facilities will be established to create an educational environment to support work and lives of scientists, engineers, and employees of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Science Belt Central Districts.  - While there are three public kindergartens currently in operation, additional kindergartens in workplaces are planned to open for the employees of resident companies by 2027. Also, an integrated kindergarten-elementary-middle school is under construction with the goal of opening in the second semester next year.   [Strategic task 3] Expanding facilities for residents’ convenience  - Convenience of residents and resident organizations will be improved through expanding spaces for rest, entertainment and leisure, and installing government offices to provide culture, administration, and safety services.  - By the end of 2024, the reservoirs on the outskirts of the Science Belt will be remodeled into an ecological rest area by connecting with existing waterside walking paths. A construction plan of the public facilities for resident convenience, such as a cultural welfare complex and a 119 safety center, will be formulated by 2024 as well.  [Strategic task 4] Propelling science and technology commercialization  - Strategies to reinforce the role of the Science Belt as a hub for nurturing scientific industries and supporting commercialization of basic research and technologies will be concretized.  - There are plans to establish the "Science Belt Support Center (tentative)" by 2025, and to establish policy framework for supporting commercialization activities, such as developing specific initiatives tailored to the Central Districts.   Kim Hyeon Soo, the Head of the International Science-Business Belt Promotion Office, stated that, "The Office will strengthen cooperative efforts with relevant organizations to make sure that the strategic tasks included in the Execution Plan could be carried out as scheduled." He further stated, "We will actively support the role of the International Science & Business Belt as the national growth hub integrating basic research and business, to promote tangible outcomes in science commercialization activities."   For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.  Please refer to the attached PDF. 

5G WiFi available on intra-city buses nationwide

5G backhaul-based public WiFi, implemented with domestically produced equipment, is installed for all 29,100 intra-city buses nationwide.  Minister Lee Jong Ho had a hands-on experience of 5G-based public WiFi service at a bus.  The Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Lee Jong Ho, hereinafter referred to as "MSIT") held an event on December 5th (Tue.), at National Palace Museum of Korea, to commemorate the complete transition of public WiFi installed on all 29,100 city buses nationwide from the previous LTE to 5G. At the event, which was attended by Minister Lee Jong Ho, representatives from the telecommunications industry, and public WiFi users, achievements in public WiFi infrastructure so far were reviewed, and future policy directions for public WiFi to continue providing high-quality services were announced.  Through this transition, it is anticipated that city bus users will be able to enjoy various internet services more conveniently even on the move, with the four-fold improvement of the WiFi speed.  Figure 1: How to use public WiFi in intra-city buses  In addition, public WiFi is anticipated to contribute to cost savings on communication expenses by providing free data access, as it is deployed in a total of 58,000 public areas, including 4,400 new deployment in 2023.  Such initiative for the public WiFi infrastructure, which was started in 2012, is estimated to have provided 66 petabytes (equivalent to 57.96 million HD videos) of data to 9.2 billion individual users cumulatively in the year 2022 alone. Moreover, equipment employed in public WiFi is required to complete the security certification procedure from accredited certification and testing institutes, and Opportunistic Wireless Encryption (OWE) technology is utilized to encrypt user data. Overall, the public WiFi infrastructure ensures high-quality and secure internet connection service to users.  Today's event marks the third on-site visit to sites related to public welfare issues, following the first and second at "MVNO (Mobile Virutal Network Operator) Square" and "Smart Center for Senior Citizens." Minister Lee Jong Ho took a look at public WiFi equipment installed at the National Palace Museum, boarded an intra-city bus, and made video calls with students and young citizens. After experiencing 5G-based public WiFi service himself, the Minister listened to user experiences and suggestions coming from those on the bus.  Furthermore, MSIT announced its future policy directions for public WiFi with four key directions: application of new technologies, improvement of interoperation system for commercial WiFi, reallocation of public WiFi resources, and reinforcement of the management and response functions for everyday operation and emergency mitigation.  Applying new technologies to ensure faster and more convenient services   Approximately 14,000 aged WiFi equipment based on WiFi 4 and 5, deployed between 2015 and 2017, and which have been in use past the average lifespan of seven years, are set to be upgraded to WiFi 7 throughout 2025. In case of WiFi equipment experiencing disruptions causing inconvenience for users, a pilot initiative for upgrade to WiFi 7 is planned to begin in 2024, regardless of the period of usage, to improve the quality of service.   WiFi 7 is expected to be introduced into the market with the release of WiFi 7 routers (Access Point, AP) after the international standards are finalized in 2024. Compared to WiFi 6, WiFi 7 offers a speed improved for approximately 2.4 times, enhancing internet connectivity performance in public spaces where multiple users and devices connect simultaneously. * WiFi data transmission speed: WiFi 4 and 5 (45Mbps-3.4Gbps), WiFi 6 and 6E (600Mpbs-9.6Gbps), WiFi 7 (up to 46Gbps in theory)   Additionally, high-bandwidth network will be proactively deployed by increasing the speed of underlying wired network infrastructure to about 10Gbps, enabling faster and more convenient public WiFi services.  Improving the interoperability with commercial WiFi for swift response to digital disasters   To enhance the response to communication outages due to disruptions inside both wired and wireless networks (above the level of "alert" when a crisis alert is issued), systematic improvement will be made to allow for automatic opening of and connection to commercial WiFi networks operated by the three major telecommunications providers. This measure is scheduled to be implemented until the first half of 2024, assuring citizens to seamlessly access data even during emergency situations.  Reallocating public WiFi resources with respect to data usage to improve efficiency   WiFi access points with low utilization rate due to facility closure and other reasons will be reallocated. Such decisions will be made through deliberations with local authorities, which shares the responsibility for operational costs. As a result, WiFi resources will be relocated to areas with high visitor traffic, such as libraries and markets, improving the operational efficiency and the quality of service.  Reinforcing management and response functions to promote stable operation of public WiFi   It is planned to establish a system that shortens the on-site dispatch time on emergency situations from the current 48 hours to within 24 hours, in order to minimize the inconveniences for users when public WiFi outages occur. Also, filing complaints will be available not only through calling the existing hotlines, but also via "public WiFi app," further reinforcing the convenience of citizens using public WiFi.   In his opening remarks at the event, Minister Lee Jong Ho stated that "Public WiFi infrastructure has been of practical help in alleviating the burden of communication expense for citizens through providing free data access. Simultaneously, MSIT has prioritized the safety and security of public WiFi," and conveyed the Ministry’s future plan to proactively support application of new technologies, such as WiFi 7, and additional construction of 10G wired network-based backhauls. He further stated, "With a strong focus on enhanced operation, management, and emergency response functions, we aim to ensure that all citizens can get reliable and convenient public WiFi service."   For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.   Please refer to the attached PDF.

Strengthening the foundation of ROK-ASEAN science and technology cooperation by nurturing promising young scientists

- Award ceremony for 2023 ROK-ASEAN Award for Excellence in Science, Technology and Innovation and ROK-ASEAN STI Training Program held, participated by 10 ASEAN nations  The Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Lee Jong Ho, hereinafter referred to as "MSIT") announced the commencement of an award ceremony for the "5th ROK-ASEAN Award for Excellence in Science, Technology and Innovation" and the "2023 ROK-ASEAN STI Training Program," for the purpose of expanding the scope of exchanges between the Republic of Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and their science and technology cooperation.  The ROK-ASEAN Award for Excellence in Science, Technology and Innovation (hereinafter referred to as the "Innovation Award") was first established in 2019, in order to strengthen the foundation of science and technology cooperation between South Korea and ASEAN member states by discovering young and promising researchers in the ASEAN region, who are strongly willing to carry out joint research with Korean researchers. Now celebrating its 5th anniversary this year, the Innovation Award has garnered significant interest from young ASEAN researchers, its number of applications increasing each year. Notably, past awardees Lawrence Limjuco (2nd Winner, Philippine nationality, Ateneo de Davao University, Philippines) and Yanwei Lum (3rd winner, Singaporean nationality, National University of Singapore, Singapore) are playing a bridging role in ROK-ASEAN cooperation, participating as panels at the 5th ROK-ASEAN STI Workshop held in September.  The Innovation Award is granted to young researchers who are citizens of ASEAN member states, and have less than 5 years of working experience after obtaining a doctoral degree. In detail, the Innovation Award consists of two categories: "Next ASEAN Innovator" and "ASEAN-ROK STI Pioneer." Next ASEAN Innovator is eligible for those who received a recommendation from an ASEAN member states for their high research capabilities. ASEAN-ROK STI Pioneer is eligible for those who received their doctoral degree from a Korean institution or have an experience in joint research with Korean researchers. In either case, the eligibility criteria demand that the applicant has a recommendation from a Korean instructor.  This year, the Next ASEAN Innovator went to Son Tung Ha, a principal researcher at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) under the Singaporean Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), who is of Vietnamese nationality. The ASEAN-ROK STI Pioneer went to Intan Rosalina Suhito, a research fellow at the National University of Singapore, who is of Indonesian nationality. Active in applied physics research, Dr. Son Tung Ha has published numerous papers in SCI journals in the field of nano-optics, and holds patents related to laser cooling. Dr. Intan Rosalina Suhito specializes in biomedical engineering, with multiple SCI-grade papers published on biosensors, and holds patents in stem cell technologies. In particular, one of her representative articles is based on the joint research effort with the Catholic University of Korea in 2022*. Her career includes a continued history of research collaborations with Korea. * In Situ Detection of Kidney Organoid Generation From Stem Cells Using a Simple Electrochemical Method   Director General Kim Seong Kyu of the MSIT International Cooperation Bureau conveyed his hope that the recipients of the Innovation Award would take the lead in discovering innovative research topics through their outstanding research performance, contributing to the betterment of society. He also emphasized the role of these young researchers in expanding research cooperation between South Korea and ASEAN, in terms of both quality and quantity. He stated that, "We look forward to the mutual prosperity and development of the region, brought to us by the enhanced collaborative efforts among young and promising researchers, who will play a pivotal role in leading our future."   The "2023 ROK-ASEAN STI Training Program," held in association with the Innovation Award, took place from November 27th (Mon.) to December 1st (Fri.), under the theme of "South Korean National Innovation System: Past, Present, Future, and Human Resources for Science, Technology and Innovation." A total of 18 science and technology policy officials and experts from ASEAN member states participated in the program, which featured on-site and practical training through discussions with Korean policy experts and field visits to science and technology research sites. It is anticipated that this program will provide a platform for regular policy exchanges between Korea and ASEAN, fostering a future-oriented partnership in science and technology innovation.   For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.  Please refer to the attached PDF.