Pursuing the "Second Founding of the Science Technology State" It is becoming increasingly clear that President Roh Moo-hyun has taken on board the idea that science technology promotion is the only way for us to survive. He is reported to have told his ministers this at a recent cabinet ministers' meeting, stressing the great importance of science technology in terms of industrial competitiveness, boosting economic growth, improving the nation's quality of life, and beefing up national security. For this reason, the Roh administration is dedicated to the "Second Founding of the Science Technology State," by including the building of a science technologycentered society as one of the government's 12 major national administration tasks and actively promoting it. Along with this technology innovation effort, it is said that President Roh also frequently emphasizes that we should forge a climate to respect science technicians. It is thus not surprising that the President has upgraded the status of the Minister of Science and Technology (MOST) to the level of deputy prime minister recently. By including "science technology-centered society construction" as one of the 12 major national administration tasks, the President is underscoring his determination to develop science technology further. Experts agree that this is a very inspirational objective, as a national task reflecting the nation's future's vision. The current administration recognizes that a goal-oriented technology strategy is necessary between China is catching up rapidly with Korea and Japan, fast reducing the technology gap with China. Based upon this recognition, President Roh emphasizes the importance of strengthening national growth engines through core technology as well as new industry creation, strategic investment allotment for basic core technology and industrial technology, continuous economic growth accomplishment by pursuing "The Second Founding of the Science Technology State," balanced regional development by means of R&D groundwork expansion as well as high value-added key industry promotion, economic growth and boosting national competitiveness through new industry creation. In essence, President Roh is leading the way in promoting the idea that Korea should achieve innovation of the national science technology system in parallel with raising the nation's science technology capacity to the 10th ranking in the world. Secondly, to secure it as a growth engine for the future, MOST officials say that the President is encouraging the nurturing of science technology human resources such as 10,000 core highlyskilled workers. Thirdly, to beef up local innovation capability, the government is striving to reduce industry concentration in the Seoul Metropolitan Area and to expand regional and provincial growth potential. Especially to nurture a globally-competitive IT industry, the President understands the importance of promoting the IT service industry, such as S/W & digital content, strengthening key IT industry's competitiveness such as mobile communication, and the industry's long-term competitiveness through developing core technology, as well as core manpower. Moreover, President Roh is putting his heart and soul into developing the nation's future core technology intensively, constructing a society of principle and confidence through science culture diffusion, and creating jobs which meet the needs of a knowledge-based society. In the 21st century, science technology will become firmly established as the core of national policy and science technology policy, which is deemed as a means of economic/ industrial development currently, and is forecasted to remain predominant in economic/industrial policy through 2010. The President also consents to the opinion that science technology is not only the core constituent for strengthening and improving the nation's industrial competitiveness and welfare improvement, but that it is also becoming the foundation of national defense power such as atomic energy, an electrons, a minute guided weapon and space aviation in terms of national security. Accordingly, it is said that President Roh frequently highlights in cabinet meetings that for Korea to cope in the era of unlimited global competition, it is essential to pursue science technology-centered national policies and strategies.