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| President Yoon Suk Yeol, second from left, standing, visits a vocational training class at Kumoh National Institute of Technology in Gumi, 202 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Feb. 1. Yonhap |
President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday that nurturing talented people in science and technology is the only way for the nation to survive in a world competing for technological supremacy.
Yoon made the remark while presiding over the inaugural strategic meeting on fostering talents at Kumoh National Institute of Technology in Gumi, 202 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
"The reason we were able to succeed in industrialization in difficult conditions and grow into an economic power was ultimately because we invested in people and trained people," he said.
"Especially now, with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and global competition for technological supremacy, the only way for a nation to survive is by raising a large number of exceptional talents in science and technology," he added.
Yoon talked about his visit to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich last month, saying he learned how the university has established itself as a hub connecting science and technology with industries.
"The country's future depends on raising many creative talents that find problems and solutions in the field, not those that rely on acquiring knowledge or memorization," he said.
Yoon also stressed the importance of education for balanced regional growth, and the role local universities play.
The Kumoh National Institute of Technology opened in 1980 at the instruction of former President Park Chung-hee under the aim of training highly skilled industrial personnel.
During the meeting, Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said the government will focus on nurturing talented people in the five core areas of aviation, space and future mobility; biohealth; advanced parts and materials; the digital industry; and the environment and energy. (Yonhap)
