STEM or bust? Korea’s future at risk as top students avoid engineering

A powerful two-part KBS documentary contrasting South Korea’s obsession with medical school and China’s strategic push for science and engineering talent has struck a nerve, drawing millions of views, impassioned viewer reactions and calls for systemic change. The documentary, titled “Docu Insight — The Talent War,” aired last month and surpassed 970,000 views on YouTube within three weeks of its release. One viewer’s comment, “They should play this during a Cabinet meeting and make the president, prime minister and ministers each write a 10-page book report,” captured the urgency many felt after watching. Public reactions ranged from shock to despair: “I had no idea things were this bad for STEM,” “The future is terrifying,” and “It’s heartbreaking that our brightest minds only chase money.” In response to the surge in attention, KBS hastily aired a live panel discussion on July 27 focused on fostering talent in science and engineering. On July 30, Hankook Ilbo met with producers Jung Yong-jae, Lee I-baek and Shin Eun-joo at the KBS headquarters in YeongdeWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times