The Ministry of Science and ICT has selected a range of research and development (R&D) projects that combine South Korea's unique historical, cultural, and environmental assets with advanced science and technology. The initiative aims to pioneer new research fields by integrating these assets with technology, ultimately leading to global technological leadership.
On May 28, the Ministry announced the selection of candidate projects for the 2026 "Our Science (K-Science)" initiative during a meeting at the L Tower in Seocho-gu, Seoul, attended by representatives from four ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the National Heritage Administration, the Rural Development Administration, and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute.
This initiative seeks to link South Korea's unique historical, cultural, and environmental assets with scientific technology, aiming to lead research and explore new fields. The focus is on integrating Korean identity into science and technology, promoting both the acquisition of original technologies and the creation of social and cultural value.
Earlier, Park In-kyu, head of the Science and Technology Innovation Bureau at the Ministry, explained the rationale behind the K-Science policy during a press briefing in March, stating, "Just as Jane Goodall became a global brand through her lifelong research on chimpanzees, Korea must cultivate its own unique research themes."
The selected candidate projects include: the Ministry of Culture's "K-Museum Technology Development," the National Heritage Administration's "K-Genome Platform Construction," the Rural Development Administration's "Small and Medium K-Smart Farm," and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute's "High Astronomy Convergence Research."
The Ministry of Culture's "K-Museum Technology Development" project aims to digitize approximately 2.53 million artifacts held by the National Museum of Korea and expand into an AI-based cultural content industry. It will develop technologies for precise exploration of ancient tombs, AI-based environmental control in storage facilities, the construction of cultural heritage significance data, and AI agent-based content creation. The government expects this will lead to citizen-oriented services such as digital twin exhibitions and AI curator services.
The National Heritage Administration's "K-Genome Platform Construction" project will analyze ancient human genomes from Korea alongside modern Korean genomes and disease data to reconstruct the origins, migrations, and disease changes of Koreans. The government plans to build a small language model (SLM)-based agent platform to analyze the historical migration routes, living environments, and diseases of ancient Koreans in high resolution, which will be utilized for exhibition and educational content.
The Rural Development Administration's "Small and Medium K-Smart Farm" project focuses on developing a Korean-style smart farm model suitable for domestic small-scale farms. It aims to connect the world's first greenhouse technology recorded in the agricultural book "Sangga Yurok" from the Sejong period with modern smart farm technology to promote the scientific and cultural value of Korean agricultural technology. The project will also establish a foundation for global dissemination in connection with discussions on international standards for smart agriculture based on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute's "High Astronomy Convergence Research" project will verify and analyze approximately 25,000 records of ancient astronomy documented in historical texts such as the Samguk Sagi, Goryeo Sa, and Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. The institute plans to use this data for scientific research on long-period variable stars and solar activity, as well as to digitally restore ancient astronomical heritage and create educational content.
The selected candidate projects will undergo a budget review process before being finalized as part of the 2026 "Our Science (K-Science)" initiative. The government also plans to support science culture dissemination consulting for each project starting in the second half of this year.
Park stated, "We designed the 'Our Science (K-Science)' policy to promote science and technology policies that the public can actively participate in and feel. We will work with relevant departments to ensure that the public can directly see and experience the process of advancing these research and development projects."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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