The South Korean government will focus on the development of homegrown technologies in five major science sectors by 2030 in a strategic move to secure cutting-edge technologies and bolster long-term growth, the science ministry said Thursday.
The Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology approved a mission-oriented strategic road map aimed at achieving advancements in the five areas: next-generation nuclear power, aerospace and ocean engineering, next-generation communication, advanced robotics, and cybersecurity, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT.
With the previously announced plans for seven strategic sectors, including semiconductors, secondary batteries and advanced biology, the government has now completed a comprehensive road map for 12 strategic technologies.
The strategic road map outlines core technologies essential for ensuring technical sovereignty, sets up missions to be achieved by 2030, and maps out a course for pathway technologies derived from these missions.
U
nder the latest road map, the country will concentrate on the development and commercialization of light-water small modular reactors (SMRs), innovative SMRs, and technologies essential for creating an advanced nuclear power system.
For the aerospace and ocean engineering industry, the government aims to secure technologies related to large-scale staged combustion cycle liquid rocket engines, space observation and sensing, moon landing and surface exploration, advanced aviation gas turbine engines, and exploration of marine resources.
The plan also includes a mission to develop a 1.8-ton spacecraft to land on the moon in 2032.
South Korea also plans to secure core technologies for the sixth generation (6G) network by 2026. It will make effort to develop technologies for low-power consumption and weight lightening to apply the network in data-heavy industries, such as self-driving cars.
It also envisions advancing its fifth generation network technologies, securing 6G standard patents and pushing ahead wit
h on-device application of AI technologies to lead the global 6G market.
The country will also work to adopt AI-based self-functioning robot technologies in the manufacturing industry to maximize its productivity and advance its cybersecurity technologies.
Source: Yonhap News Agency