[Unofficial Translation]

President of the Royal Society Sir Adrian Smith, Foreign Secretary Sir Mark Walport, and members of the Royal Society,

It is a pleasure to meet all of you. The Royal Society is steeped in the legacies of giants who altered history like Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein, and I am delighted to have an opportunity to speak with the preeminent scientists here about the roles of science and future cooperation.

Before entering the forum, I had an opportunity to examine items from the collection of the Royal Society, some of which are more than 360 years old. The first edition of Principia, which features Newton’s laws of motion and universal gravitation, was very impressive. Seeing that monumental work – the symbol of Scientific Revolution and the cornerstone for modern scientific civilization – with my own eyes reminded me of the power that science possesses to completely transform the world.

The foundation for modern civilization was built by scientists who embraced challenges and dedicated themselves to the discovery of truth and the fundamental principles of the universe, nature and life. I believe that this pioneering spirit to take on challenges that goes back to the era of Newton has greatly helped fuel the remarkable advancements seen in science and technology in the 21st century.

In addition, the Scientific Revolution made possible the Industrial Revolution that the United Kingdom led, which in turn has been driving the Digital Revolution of today. Ever since its foundation in 1660, the Royal Society has long been at the forefront of the Scientific Revolution, selecting and supporting outstanding scientists and sharing their discoveries and achievements regardless of nationality, status or power. As demonstrated in the Royal Society’s time-honored history and traditions, science has always sought to bring shared prosperity and cooperation to humanity.

Distinguished scientists who are shaping the future of humanity,

The pace and complexity of scientific and technological advances require us a new level of cooperation and solidarity. It is growing increasingly difficult for one genius to change the world. Modern scientific and technological advancement is characterized by collaborations among many talented individuals conducting joint research to generate new knowledge and innovation. The global challenges threatening humanity’s future such as unpredictable spread of infectious diseases, the climate crisis and the depletion of energy and resources cannot be met by the technological innovations and efforts of one country acting on its own.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic is a case in point: It took united efforts by all members of the international community to rapidly produce vaccines based on mRNA and virology research to overcome the pandemic. The willingness of Sir Roy Anderson, who is with us at today’s forum, and other scientists worldwide to collaborate and share their findings enabled humanity to escape from the pandemic at a miraculous speed.

Distinguished scientists from around the world,

What made Korea’s successful economic growth possible were the government and the private sector’s strong drive towards industrialization and full commitment to prioritize science and technology investment. Korea is now pushing the transformation of the national R&D support system. We intend to shift from quantitative to qualitative growth and from being a fast follower to a pacesetter. Our annual budget for state-sponsored R&D of over USD 23 billion will fund more basic and original research that cannot easily secure funding from private companies or the market and foster the world’s most innovative and ambitious research.

Korea will also actively expand global research cooperation and exchanges with the best researchers in the world such as the members of the Royal Society. The government of the Republic of Korea proposes, and desires, to build strong solidarity with the United Kingdom as a partner for science and technology cooperation. I hope that Korean and British scientists will work closely together and share research results to solve global issues through scientific and technological innovations as well as to promote the freedom and well-being of humanity.

The Royal Society, Korea’s Institute for Basic Science and the Korean Academy of Science and Technology have ties that go way back. I’d like to see these institutions collectively play a pivotal role in generating world-class research results through joint research programs that foster researchers of tomorrow. The Korean government will provide all the support possible.

As Isaac Newton said, we can see further by standing on the shoulders of giants. May the solidarity and cooperation of the leading scientists gathered here today serve as the shoulders of giants for young scientists in Korea and the United Kingdom.

Thank you.