This blog post looks at the impact of the Nobel Prize obsession in Korean society on the development of science and technology from various perspectives.
Every year around the end of October, South Korea feels a thirst for Nobel Prize winners. The thirst for the Nobel Prize has become even more intense since the first Nobel Prize winner was born in China, a neighboring country, a few years ago. Starting with the president, the entire country is scrambling to create a system and support to foster talent worthy of the Nobel Prize. In fact, various government agencies and private foundations are supporting researchers by launching Nobel Prize projects. For example, the Ministry of Science and ICT is making long-term research plans to increase the chances of winning the Nobel Prize and strengthening support for basic science at the national level. This movement has become an essential strategy to enhance the country’s technological prowess and status. However, many people still worry that an excessive obsession with the Nobel Prize may have adverse effects. With such a two-sided view, this article will discuss the impact of the Korean people’s obsession with the Nobel Prize on the individual and the nation and argue whether such an obsession is necessary.
First, the Nobel Prize is awarded annually to a person who has made an academic contribution to the development of civilization according to the will written by Alfred Nobel of Sweden in 1895. The prize has been awarded since 1901, and the Nobel Prize categories include the Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize in Literature, and Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Prize is a highly prestigious award in each field and is also awarded to those who have made many achievements in society. Only one or two people in each field are awarded the prize each year around the world. Therefore, the winners are guaranteed to have a very high level of knowledge and skills in their field and have made a great contribution to society. In particular, the more Nobel Prize winners a country has produced in the field of science and technology, the higher the country’s science and technology level is judged to be in the world. The important point here is that the Nobel Prize is not just an individual honor, but is considered an indicator of the country’s scientific development. This is why Korean society is eager for Nobel Prize winners.
There are many positive aspects of winning a Nobel Prize. If a person wins a Nobel Prize, his or her research will be known to more people, and subsequent research can be conducted based on the research or technology that the person has achieved, which can lead to more achievements. In addition, since excellent talent can be promoted globally, it is an opportunity to receive more investment after winning the award and to conduct more active research activities. Such research also leads to national assets. For example, research results can lead to new technologies or products, which can generate economic benefits. For example, the development of science and technology creates new industries, which can be directly linked to the economic growth of a country. Therefore, the Nobel Prize is likely to lead to economic and industrial benefits beyond simple scientific achievements.
Finally, many of my colleagues who want the Nobel Prize are a good stimulus for me to do my research. It motivates me to achieve better research results by stimulating my competitive and achievement-oriented nature. In fact, the Nobel Prize is considered the ultimate dream among scientists, and it requires deeper research and creative thinking to win it. This stimulus ultimately becomes a driving force to further invigorate the country’s scientific research environment. From a national perspective, a country also benefits when its citizens win many Nobel Prizes, as it increases the country’s international standing in terms of its science and technology, which in turn increases the trust in the country’s products and projects. In particular, a country like South Korea, which relies heavily on exports due to a small domestic market, can see an increase in exports as its technological standing increases, which builds trust in the quality of the products it produces. In addition, the probability of participating in various joint research and projects conducted in each country increases, which can have a virtuous cycle effect of promoting the development of science in their own countries.
South Koreans seem to have a great interest in the Nobel Prize because of their desire for the benefits that the prize brings and the stigma that the country’s science is inferior to its economic scale. Despite this interest, however, South Korea has not produced a Nobel Prize winner for a long time, and the desire for the prize has turned into an obsession in neighboring Japan, where many Nobel Prize winners have emerged. This obsession is becoming even more intense in 2015, as another neighbor, China, has also produced a Nobel Prize winner. As the old saying goes, the more you hurry, the more you have to go back, so obsessing over the Nobel Prize may actually lead to a further distance from winning it. Furthermore, even if it is possible to win the prize, focusing solely on the Nobel Prize may lead to greater costs due to the inability to invest in the areas that really need it. For example, if a country sets a research policy with the goal of winning the Nobel Prize, it may not be possible to make the appropriate investments in the areas that actually need them most. In this article, I will discuss the need for the obsession with the Nobel Prize from these two perspectives.
First, industries such as the Nobel Prize cultivation project are not carried out by a single individual, but by a group of experts from various fields who come together to plan and implement them. This is why we can analyze the reason why South Korea has not produced a Nobel Prize winner. The obsession with the Nobel Prize makes people’s interest burn hot, but in actual research, various opinions can be shared and objective evaluations can be made, so we can avoid excessive emotional approaches and maintain a cool analysis. This process will eventually lead to the creation of a better research environment at the national level. Therefore, the obsession with the Nobel Prize may eventually lead to the production of winners.
Secondly, looking at the current situation in South Korea, focusing on the Nobel Prize may result in the failure to invest in other areas that are more important. The research that is mainly conducted in South Korea is focused on areas that can produce tangible results and achievements at an early stage. It is already well known that this is due to the demands of the companies and governments that make the investments to produce results quickly. As a result, there is a lack of investment in basic science and little investment in areas that need to be studied over the long term. This impact is also seen in the industrial sector, where the lack of technology for basic core materials and parts leads to imports from overseas, which in turn results in high production costs. In the end, in order for Korea’s industry to be competitive, investment in basic science and long-term investment are necessary. The reason why Korea is unable to produce Nobel Prize winners is the same as the reason why the aforementioned industries are struggling.
Therefore, experts have continuously informed governments and companies that are trying to foster Nobel Prize winners of this fact, and thanks to this, the need for investment in basic science and mid- to long-term projects has continued to emerge. This has not only changed the minds of the investors, but also gained the sympathy of most people. The perception that long-term research aimed at winning the Nobel Prize is an essential element in enhancing the country’s scientific and technological competitiveness beyond simple research achievements has spread.
For example, Samsung has planned to invest 1.5 trillion won in basic science for 10 years since 2013 for its Nobel Prize Project. This project, called the Future Technology Fostering Project, selects and supports a total of 38 fields in the fields of basic science, material technology, and information and communication technology. Samsung explained that it considers the creativity of research as the most important factor in carrying out this project.
