China actively tried to recruit South Korea’s top scientists last year, focusing on KAIST faculty. The KAIST faculty recruitment effort targeted 149 professors, about 22 percent of KAIST’s 666 faculty members, according to internal data released Saturday.
People Power Party Representative Choi Soo-jin said all targeted professors received emails titled “China’s Invitation Program for Superior Global Scientists.” Each email offered an annual salary of 2 million yuan ($280,800), housing funds, social insurance, and financial support for children’s education. The proposals required recipients to work full-time in China for at least three years.
Moreover, this is not the first time China targeted South Korea’s scientific talent. In 2020, a KAIST professor involved in Beijing’s “Thousand Talents Plan” leaked critical autonomous driving technology and faced arrest. Experts say the latest KAIST faculty recruitment reflects a modified version of the Thousand Talents Plan.
Additionally, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service surveyed major universities and government-funded research institutes. Authorities discovered similar recruitment attempts at other institutions. This signals broader efforts to attract high-level expertise abroad.
Furthermore, KAIST’s research security team alerted authorities and launched an internal investigation. Meanwhile, the Korea Academy of Science and Technology found that 61.5 percent of its members had received overseas recruitment offers. KAIST faculty report two to three such attempts every month.
Rep. Choi warned that foreign attempts to acquire expertise are growing more aggressive as South Korea’s technology advances. He stressed that “research security is national security” and urged revisions to the National Research and Development Innovation Act. These changes would help universities respond faster to such threats.
Experts caution that KAIST faculty recruitment by foreign programs could weaken national technological competitiveness if left unchecked. Therefore, policy makers consider stricter regulations and stronger monitoring to protect research and intellectual property.
Ultimately, the KAIST faculty recruitment case highlights the strategic value of academic expertise in global technology competition. Consequently, universities and authorities are improving preventive measures and raising awareness about foreign recruitment risks.
