LG Steps up Research Recruitment: Study abroad and Korea's R&D

In our new book on Digital Development in Korea (Routledge, March 2011), Dr. Oh and I devote an entire chapter to the role of education in this nation's remarkable rise from the ashes of the Korean war.  One portion of that chapter deals with the role of study abroad   Today the Joongang Daily carried an article that further underscores some of the points made in our chapter.  As shown in the accompanying graphic (click to see a full size version) the LG Group is stepping up its research recruitment in the United States, and specifically in Silicon Valley.  It sponsored a four-day event called Techno Conference in San Jose, attended by 20 technology executives at LG Electronics, in an effort to promote the company among engineers.  Around 150 Korean students and engineers participated, including those pursuing masters and doctoral degrees at prestigious U.S. universities (such as nearby Stanford U.), along with those working at major IT companies.  About 100 signed up for on-site interviews.

Techno Conference is only the latest in a series of efforts LG has been pursuing to strengthen its R&D capabilities.

Late last month, LG Electronics announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with 13 major universities in Korea, including Seoul National University, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kaist) and Pohang University of Science and Technology.

The Changing Shape of Research and Development in Korea

Korea's transformation since the early 1980's has been an information-based revolution.  When I say "information-based," I include education, research and development and technology development, all of which are related.  One of the broad trends in Korea over the past three decades has been the growth of private-sector R&D in relation to government-sponsored R&D.  The English web site of the Korea Industrial Technology Association contains some data to back this up.  As shown in the accompanying graphic (click to see a full size version of it) the number of corporate R&D Centers in Korea more than doubled over the past nine years, from 7,110 in 2000 to 17,522 in 2009.  As shown in the data below the bar graph, the vast majority of these research and development centers were created by small and medium sized enterprises.   According to the same web site, nearly half of all of these R&D Centers were situated in the "electronics and electrics"  sector.  The distribution of R&D fields can be seen in the second graphic (again, click to see a full size version).

MIT Researchers Create Molecular Chips

The news reported in The New York Times today that MIT researchers have created molecular chips should resound through Korea's semiconductor industry.  This development suggests that the growing power and decreasing size of semiconductors may continue to fuel the information revolution for some time to come.  The graphic accompanying the story (click on the graphic here to see a larger version) is an actual photograph of the molecular chip developed at MIT.  The researchers used a new technology called "copolymers" to allow chip manufacturers to take molecules and arrange them in complex patterns on silicon chips.