Background Hoon, the Minister of Science and ICT (pictured left), speaks at the 44th Cabinet Meeting held at the Presidential Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 30th. According to Yonhap News, “With the support of AI promotion policies, the Deputy Prime Minister system has been revived after 17 years. From October 1, Minister Bae Kyung-hoon of the Ministry of Science and ICT will also serve as Deputy Prime Minister, leading the national control tower for science, technology, and AI.”
On the 30th, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that it has been elevated to a Deputy Prime Minister-level ministry following the review and resolution of the Government Organization Act amendment at the morning cabinet meeting.
The Deputy Minister of Science and Technology system was first introduced in 2004 under the participatory government, aiming to establish a science and technology-centered society. However, it was abolished when the Lee Myung-bak administration took office in 2008 and launched the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology by integrating the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development with the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The revival of the Deputy Minister of Science and Technology after 17 years aims to support the successful implementation of the national task, “Leap to Become One of the Three Major AI Powers,” and to lead national AI innovation by consolidating scattered resources and capabilities from the government, private sector, and local governments, explained the Ministry of Science and ICT.
With its promotion to a Deputy Prime Minister-level ministry, the Social Vice Minister role, which was concurrently held by the Minister of Education under the Government Organization Act, will be abolished. Minister Bae Kyung-hoon stated, “I accept the newly given Deputy Prime Minister role with a heavy sense of responsibility, and I will lead so that everyone in the nation can enjoy the benefits of AI and establish a definitive leading position as a global competitor.”