SNU Class of ‘78(78학번) → EE Professor → Minister of Science and ICT

“This is an era of convergence… Regular attendance of seminars in other fields is necessary”

“Must search for issues in the lives of people rather than simply write good papers”

[Former Minister of Science and ICT, Special Lecture at SNU]

“From now on, you have to do things that other people don’t do, rather than do better at what others are good at. You can become a true ‘pioneer’ when you can recognize and solve problems that weren’t considered problems in the past.”

 

On the 16th, former Minister of Science and ICT Kiyoung Choi(photo) said thus during the 11th Woodang Lecture held at SNU, emphasizing the research attitude of talented people in science and technology in preparation for the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Woodang Lecture is a special lecture held once or twice a year for SNU students. It is hosted by the Woodang Education and Culture Foundation and Seoul National University's College of Liberal Studies to commemorate the life of Woodang Hui-young Lee. Former Minister Choi, who entered SNU as a student in 1978 and was a former professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, resigned from his position as the Minister of Science and ICT last month.

 

On this day, former Minister Choi introduced his major research projects and the main policies he promoted as minister, and spent the 90 minute lecture with students participating in online and offline Q&A.

 

Former Minister Choi emphasized the need of ‘studying broadly after attaining depth’. In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, convergence of various fields of research is essential, and there is a demand for interest in various fields of study.

 

Former Minister Choi himself admitted, “I did not study broadly during my years at SNU.” He was a scholar who had studied the field of artificial neural networks in depth before entering public office. He was a renowned expert in his field, but when he took office, he said that the important research tasks in his academia were so diverse that it was difficult to handle them all.

 

He advised. “If you build your own academic ‘stronghold’, you can get ideas to develop your own thoughts by looking at research projects in other fields. If you are a student actively involved in research, you should regularly attend seminars in other fields.”

 

Former Minister Choi requested that SNU students in particular should possess a ‘pioneer’ spirit. As a school where the best intellectuals in Korea have gathered, there is a need for boldly chosen research tasks. He explained, “You need to go beyond simply writing better papers and look at the lives of the people and search for pressing issues. A good example of this is the portable negative pressure ward recently developed at KAIST.”

 

To students who are trying to choose their major, he said, “Conduct research stubbornly in the field you want. The AI and artificial neural network fields, which are currently at their height of popularity, were in the limelight for a short time in the 1980s, but quickly lost their popularity and were considered an outdated field.” He also said, “Japan does well in basic sciences because there are plenty of researchers who are constantly digging into research fields that may be considered ‘dull’. He added, “For advances in basic sciences, the government should respect the autonomy of researchers and provide an environment where they can continue even small-scale research.”

 

Source: https://www.hankyung.com/society/article/202106182181i

Translated by: Jee Hyun Lee, English Editor of Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, jlee621@snu.ac.kr

 

 

The confessions of an expert in AI… “Regrets for not having studied broadly” (The Korea Economic Daily, 210618)

[Former Minister of Science and ICT, Special Lecture at SNU]

 

 

SNU Class of ‘78(78학번) → EE Professor → Minister of Science and ICT

“This is an era of convergence… Regular attendance of seminars in other fields is necessary”

“Must search for issues in the lives of people rather than simply write good papers”

 

“From now on, you have to do things that other people don’t do, rather than do better at what others are good at. You can become a true ‘pioneer’ when you can recognize and solve problems that weren’t considered problems in the past.”

 

On the 16th, former Minister of Science and ICT Kiyoung Choi(photo) said thus during the 11th Woodang Lecture held at SNU, emphasizing the research attitude of talented people in science and technology in preparation for the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Woodang Lecture is a special lecture held once or twice a year for SNU students. It is hosted by the Woodang Education and Culture Foundation and Seoul National University's College of Liberal Studies to commemorate the life of Woodang Hui-young Lee. Former Minister Choi, who entered SNU as a student in 1978 and was a former professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, resigned from his position as the Minister of Science and ICT last month.

 

On this day, former Minister Choi introduced his major research projects and the main policies he promoted as minister, and spent the 90 minute lecture with students participating in online and offline Q&A.

 

Former Minister Choi emphasized the need of ‘studying broadly after attaining depth’. In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, convergence of various fields of research is essential, and there is a demand for interest in various fields of study.

 

Former Minister Choi himself admitted, “I did not study broadly during my years at SNU.” He was a scholar who had studied the field of artificial neural networks in depth before entering public office. He was a renowned expert in his field, but when he took office, he said that the important research tasks in his academia were so diverse that it was difficult to handle them all.

 

He advised. “If you build your own academic ‘stronghold’, you can get ideas to develop your own thoughts by looking at research projects in other fields. If you are a student actively involved in research, you should regularly attend seminars in other fields.”

 

Former Minister Choi requested that SNU students in particular should possess a ‘pioneer’ spirit. As a school where the best intellectuals in Korea have gathered, there is a need for boldly chosen research tasks. He explained, “You need to go beyond simply writing better papers and look at the lives of the people and search for pressing issues. A good example of this is the portable negative pressure ward recently developed at KAIST.”

 

To students who are trying to choose their major, he said, “Conduct research stubbornly in the field you want. The AI and artificial neural network fields, which are currently at their height of popularity, were in the limelight for a short time in the 1980s, but quickly lost their popularity and were considered an outdated field.” He also said, “Japan does well in basic sciences because there are plenty of researchers who are constantly digging into research fields that may be considered ‘dull’. He added, “For advances in basic sciences, the government should respect the autonomy of researchers and provide an environment where they can continue even small-scale research.”

 

Source: https://www.hankyung.com/society/article/202106182181i

Translated by: Jee Hyun Lee, English Editor of Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, jlee621@snu.ac.kr