The 24th is the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and China. The trade volume between the two countries is around 301.5 billion dollars. Containers to be sent to China are being stacked at Incheon New Port on the 18th. Reporter Kim Beom-jun ” />
The technological competitiveness of Korea’s principal industries these types of as facts technologies (IT), software package (SW), bio/medication, and energy was located to be powering not only the United States, Japan, but China as properly. Semiconductors and nuclear electricity crops, considered to have the greatest technological stage in the earth, ended up practically no unique from China. Analysts say China, which had been criticized for using low-priced labor to develop ‘fakes’, has begun to threaten Korea with sophisticated technology.
On the 18th, Korea Financial Daily analyzed the ‘Technology Amount Report’ of the Korea Science and Technologies Institute’s Setting up and Evaluation Institute in advance of 30 several years given that the establishment of diplomatic relations amongst Korea and China (24th) decades following Apart from for national protection, △construction/transportation △disaster /protection △space/aviation △ machinery/manufacturing △materials/nano △agriculture, forestry, fisheries, meals △bio/clinical △energy/assets △information and interaction technology is the end result of analyzing 10 sectors including (ICT) and South West . The Science and Technologies Planning and Analysis Institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT assessments the technology stage of key countries the moment just about every two decades. Qualitative evaluation by extra than 1,200 gurus and quantitative evaluation this kind of as papers and patents are analyzed together.
Korea surpassed China in all spots besides aerospace and aerospace (-.1 calendar year) in 2010. However, in 2020, it lags guiding in 4 regions: aerospace and aviation (-3.5 a long time), medical care (-.1 decades ), energy and methods (-.2 a long time), and ICT/SW (-.3 several years). It is really worth noting that China has led in future-generation technologies these kinds of as cellular communications, method software program, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital actuality, irrespective of its popularity as an ‘IT powerhouse’. In other places, the regular technologies gap with China was only about half a yr.
In the mid-2010s, in Korea, numerous voices identified as for the need to have to prevail over the ‘nutcracker’ problem amongst the United States and Japan, which experienced exceptional technological competitiveness, and China, which boasted price competitiveness. Now, 10 years afterwards, the situation has turn out to be much more complicated. It has become a problem wherever the United States and Japan, as perfectly as China, compete fiercely for technological know-how.
Lee Jeong-dong, an engineering professor at Seoul Nationwide University, claimed, “Korea and China have been adhering to a improvement approach that follows formulated countries.
From AI/SW to biotechnology, the opposite of China… “Korea pursues highly developed engineering”
Even in 2010, Korea was evaluated to be at least 5 several years forward of China in biochip and sensor technological know-how that can diagnose various ailments these as most cancers in advance and learn the lead to by applying a microscopic biosensor. The technology hole in response to infectious conditions, which is immediately connected to community wellbeing, has also widened for extra than 4 many years, so it is complicated for China to capture up conveniently.
Expectations ended up improper. As of 2020, the amount of biochip and sensor engineering is the identical as that of China, and Korea is just one 12 months at the rear of in reaction to infectious conditions. China has succeeded in setting up huge-scale medical knowledge as a result of demanding bioregulatory reform combined with unparalleled analysis assist. On the other hand, medical investigation is not quick in Korea as it is hindered by the Personalized Information and facts Security Act and the Bioethics Act.
○ The popularity of ‘IT Korea’ is unsullied
As a consequence of examining the Science and Technology Organizing and Evaluation Organization’s ‘Technology Degree Report’ on the 18th, the Korea Economic Everyday showed that Korea’s higher-tech industrial technologies has allowed China to convert all-around in huge numbers in the earlier 10 decades. . Even though it is nevertheless forward of China in production-based technologies this sort of as machine production, China is evaluated to be forward of Korea in the state-of-the-art systems demanded in the period of the 4th industrial revolution. In bio and ICT (details and interaction technological know-how), which was deemed to have proven energy when compared to the United States and Japan, Korea was also located to be lagging guiding China.
To start with of all, in stem mobile engineering, Korea was 2.5 years ahead of China in 2010, but is a single year at the rear of in 2020. The exact is true for new drug development technological innovation, which was 2.7 years guiding the direct in 2010. From 2020, it is about a calendar year driving China.
Because the mid-2010s, China has been marketing ‘Project 2025’ to cultivate the world’s finest systems in new industries this sort of as biopharmaceuticals and superior-performance professional medical products. An marketplace formal explained, “The Chinese governing administration has raised its competitiveness by collecting superb researchers and supporting unconventional investigation funds.”
‘IT Korea’ has become a thing of the previous. Korea is also lagging behind China in the ICT sector. Throughout this period, places such as upcoming-generation networks (2.7 several years → -.5 several years), cellular communications (2.3 several years → -2.5 yrs), and subsequent-generation system software package (2. yrs → -1. years) permitted China to reverse . Artificial intelligence (AI) and digital actuality systems, considered the main technologies of the 4th industrial revolution, are also one 12 months powering China.
An IT business official pointed out, “Korea has been slow to acquire owing to polices these types of as the strongest individual information safety legislation in the entire world, although China has enhanced its competitiveness as a result of substantial-scale infrastructure investment and regulatory reform.”
○ Semiconductor can lag at the rear of
The semiconductor sector, recognised as the previous bastion, has also narrowed the gap with China. The semiconductor course of action and structure technological know-how gap with China has lessened from 4 decades in 2010 to .5 a long time in 2020. Through the identical interval, the hole in semiconductor products technological innovation also lowered from 3.6 several years to 1.5 decades. It is defined that Chinese organizations have reduced their technological capability by recruiting a significant number of domestic unit and memory process engineers because the early 2010s. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the top semiconductor companies in Korea, are also acknowledged to check remarkably comprehensive system technologies such as YMTC (Yangtze Memory Technological innovation). Nevertheless, a common clarification among sector insiders is that there is continue to a roughly 3-year know-how gap in the extremely-high-quality procedure of DRAM and NAND flash.
Even in 2010, the hole with Korea in aerospace technological know-how, in which China had a solid benefit, widened even further. In phrases of area launch car or truck and space exploration technological innovation, China was identified to be ahead of Korea by 10 a long time and 8.2 a long time, respectively. Gurus are concerned that the technological innovation hole among Korea and China could widen further in the ‘2022 know-how level’ to be disclosed all through the first fifty percent of following year. This is due to the fact not only does China not evaluate to Korea in conditions of the amount of human assets that China has, but also for the reason that the Chinese government’s investment decision in basic science is much additional than Korea’s.
Having said that, experts say there is however a superior possibility of successful the technological know-how war with China.
Lee Jeong-dong, an engineering professor at Seoul National College, who served as a special adviser for financial science at the Blue Household, emphasized, “The authorities wants a tactic to outline crucial strategic technologies as a national mission as a management tower to make certain technological sovereignty, and commit intensively.”
Reporter Kang Kyung-min kkm1026@hankyung.com
