**Mandatory Start of Candidate Recruitment Process 3 Months Before Term Expiry**
A bill that mandates the commencement of the recruitment process for directors of government-funded research institutes in the field of science and technology 3 months before the expiration of their term has passed the National Assembly’s plenary session. This measure addresses the chronic issue of leadership vacancies due to delays in the appointment of successors.
Lee Hun-ki, a member of the National Assembly’s Committee on Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications from the Democratic Party of Korea, announced on the 9th that the “Act on the Establishment, Operation, and Promotion of Government-Funded Research Institutes in the Science and Technology Sector,” which he proposed, was passed in the plenary session on the 8th.
The bill includes a provision that mandates the public recruitment of candidates for the next director 3 months before the current director’s term ends.
Currently, several institutes such as the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Korea Railroad Research Institute, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, and World Institute of Kimchi have not appointed their next directors, even though their current directors’ terms have expired since March 22 of last year.
Lee stated, “Delays in appointing directors lead to unstable organizational management, lowering the competitiveness of research and development for the advancement of science and technology in our country, and negatively impacting the promotion of new projects at research institutions.” He also mentioned that it could contribute to scientific and technological innovations that provide national growth momentum.
shjo@yna.co.kr