Raft of new measures aims to halt science, AI brain drain

The South Korean government is working on multiple fronts in an effort to stem the loss of scientific and technological talent, which is happening, particularly in the AI sector, at a rate much higher than talent outflow rates experienced by comparable advanced countries.

The issue was directly addressed by President Lee Jae-myung during a Cabinet meeting in July, where he asked the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), alongside other relevant ministries, to come up with solutions and set up a public-private task force to report back on the problem of researchers leaving for overseas positions.

At the first meeting on 12 August of the task force co-chaired by senior advisor at Samsung Electronics Kyeong Gye-hyun and first vice-minister of MSIT Koo Hyuk-chae, Koo said: “Even at this very moment there are people considering leaving for positions at overseas universities, companies, or research institutes.

“Today’s meeting must serve as a starting point to reassure domestic and international talent who have chosen science and engineering that Korea does indeed hold a future for them.”

He pledged that MSIT would work closely with other ministries and private-sector organisations to ensure “a set of robust and high-quality countermeasures”.

Lee pointed to cuts in the previous administration’s 2024 R&D budget, noting: “Students and young researchers who lost their positions in laboratories are quickly exiting to overseas universities or job markets, threatening the basic research ecosystem and seriously shaking the national competitiveness in science and technology.”

At the time, Lee also announced that R&D would be a priority in the first proposed budget of his government, unveiled on 22 August. Lee said: “We are receiving painful criticism that Korea is not attractive to top talents in science and engineering.”

The government announced a record R&D budget for 2026 of KRW35.3 trillion (US$25 billion) – a 19.3% increase from the previous year and a reversal of the budget cuts of the previous administration.

However, experts noted that the science brain drain is more ingrained and preceded the 2024 R&D budget cuts of the previous government.

Exodus from top universities

According to data submitted recently to the Ministry of Education and MSIT by South Korea’s ruling party, People Power, 56 professors from the nation’s top university, Seoul National University (SNU), moved to overseas universities in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and elsewhere between 2021 and 2025. They represent around 2% of the university’s total faculty.

Meanwhile, 18 faculty members from Korea’s top four science and technology institutes – Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology – took up positions abroad during the same period.

The task force plans to finalise its recommendations this month on retaining domestic scientific talent and attracting outstanding foreign professionals – part of a strategy to bring those who have left back as well as top scientists from other countries.

In its own budget proposal released on 1 September, MSIT announced a new funding track as part of the Sejong Science Fellowships for researchers to encourage the return of outstanding talent currently residing abroad, as well as funds to expand its programme to attract overseas researchers.

Top professors leaving

A joint survey released on 28 May by the Korean Academy of Science and Technology and local newspaper Dong-A Ilbo revealed that 61.5% of the 200 academy members surveyed had received offers from abroad within the past five years, with 42% either accepting or currently considering them.

China accounted for the overwhelming majority, with 82.9% reporting offers from that country, followed by the United States at 26.8%.

A professor of physics specialising in quantum physics at a major private university in Seoul told University World News: “I receive recruitment offers from China three or four times a month. The salary is around CNY800 million (US$582,000) a year. And the research funding on offer is several dozen times what I currently receive. To say I don’t find it tempting would be a lie.”

A court case involving a South Korean professor jailed last year for leaking sensitive technology to China revealed the professor, recruited as part of China’s Thousand Talents programme set up to attract top scientists from overseas, had received KRW875 million (US$635,500) from the Chinese government in the form of salary over five years, settlement support, and subsidies.

More than a dozen top South Korean scientists have been recruited to China since 2018 specifically under the Thousand Talents programme, it was revealed last year.

The figures for the US are particularly high. Having analysed US State Department data, independent lawmaker Kim Jong-min reported on 15 August that 5,847 Koreans received EB1 or EB2 visas for the US last year – the highest number since 2017, when the figure stood at 6,100. The figure is much higher than figures relating to visas from China, Japan and India.

The US visas mainly cover highly skilled professionals in science and technology fields, such as semiconductor engineers and medical experts, and their families, offering a pathway to US permanent residency.

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Sustainable Growth Initiative reported in late June that South Korea’s net outflow specifically of AI talent as of 2024 stood at -0.36 per 10,000 people, placing the country 35th out of 38 OECD member states. The figure was in stark contrast to Luxembourg (+8.92) with a high net inflow of foreign-born degree holders and experts in its AI workforce, Germany (+2.13), and the United States (+1.07).

This measure subtracts the number of local professionals leaving the country from those coming in. In Korea’s case, the gap is growing wider every year, according to the report.

The KCCI report identified several causes for the accelerating outflow: a closed, seniority-based pay system; short-term performance-centred evaluation methods; low levels of research funding and infrastructure; a lack of collaboration and professional communities; declining autonomy and creativity in research; and the perception that overseas employment and research offer greater rewards and prestige.

KCCI research fellow Kim Cheon-gu noted in the report: “In advanced industrial fields such as AI, semiconductors, and biotechnology, the outflow of talent is worsening.

“Businesses face labour shortages and rising costs, while universities and research institutes are suffering weakened research capacity, undermining the industry-academic-research ecosystem for technological innovation.

“The loss of professionals is worsening national finances, with the added effect that the huge sums already invested in education are not being recouped. The most talented are disproportionately likely to emigrate, entrenching a ‘the more capable, the more likely to leave’ structure.”

SNU is reportedly preparing to replace the long-standing seniority-based model criticised in the report with a performance-based structure – which, if approved this month, would be the first major pay reform since the university was incorporated as a national university corporation in 2011, the Korean daily Chosun Ilbo reported on 7 September, citing an internal SNU document.

Merit pay would be based on research output and teaching quality so that universities like SNU could remain competitive in an intensifying global academic market, the newspaper reported.

Visa policies

On 2 April, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced the launch of a fast-track residence visa scheme, known as the K-Tech Pass programme, which began in earnest in July. The initiative is designed to provide comprehensive support for the recruitment and settlement of top overseas talent in advanced industries and offers residence visas and wide-ranging assistance in education, housing, and taxation.

Eligibility criteria include an employment contract with a Korean high-tech company; a masters or doctoral degree from one of the world’s top 100 engineering schools; work experience at one of the world’s top 500 companies or a global research institute; and an annual salary at least three times Korea’s per capita gross national income.

Those who qualify receive a fast-track top-tier residence visa (F-2) within two weeks through an online system, without visiting a consulate abroad.

Benefits include preferential immigration cards, work permits for spouses, and eligibility to apply for permanent residency (F-5) after three years. The programme also offers a 50% reduction in income tax for up to 10 years.