- South Korea has 694 doctoral-level quantum specialists, compared with 3,120 in the US and 5,500 in China

- Government targets 1,000 experts by 2030, with KAIST and UST accelerating specialist training

Researchers at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute measure a device incorporating quantum materials. [ETRI]
Researchers at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute measure a device incorporating quantum materials. [ETRI]

South Korea has fewer than 700 core quantum technology specialists even as global competition in the field intensifies, raising urgent calls for investment in doctoral-level researchers to close the gap with the United States and China.

According to the 2025 Quantum Information White Paper, the country has 694 doctoral-level quantum specialists — 120 in industry, 327 in academia and 247 in research institutions. That falls far short of China's 5,500, the US's 3,120 and even Japan's 800. South Korea's overall quantum technology capability is assessed at just 67.8 percent of that of leading advanced nations.

The challenge goes beyond physics research alone. Deploying quantum computers and quantum sensors in real industrial settings requires not only researchers steeped in quantum mechanics but also engineers versed in electrical and electronic engineering, information and communications technology, and systems control engineering.

High academic barriers to entry, a fragile industry ecosystem and a lack of incentives to attract top talent are widely cited as obstacles to building that workforce. The country urgently needs to cultivate interdisciplinary specialists capable of handling everything from fundamental quantum research to system design, fabrication and operation.

Han Sang-wook, head of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology's quantum technology application research hub, said South Korea's strengths in semiconductors, ICT and production technology give it a real opportunity to emerge as a quantum leader. "But because we are critically short of specialists, intensive investment in talent development is essential," he said.

To address the shortage, the government has set a target of training 1,000 advanced quantum specialists by 2030 and is expanding quantum graduate schools. The strategy centers on field-oriented training in which universities and government-funded research institutes jointly conduct education and research.

KAIST established the country's first quantum science and technology graduate school in February 2023, becoming the first domestic institution to award doctoral degrees in the field. Together with eight national hub universities, it aims to produce 180 doctoral-level researchers by 2031.

The school operates jointly with the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) and the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), sharing lectures, research supervision and advanced facilities. Students participate directly in national R&D projects at government research institute laboratories during their degree programs, building practical expertise.

"We are systematically training quantum talent capable of competing on the world stage by combining joint education with MIT, genuine cooperation with ETRI and KRISS, and the research capabilities of KAIST faculty," said Kim Eun-seong, dean of the KAIST quantum graduate school.

The University of Science and Technology (UST), a national research university, is also contributing to the effort. Since the first semester of the 2024 academic year, it has offered a quantum information major that draws on the research infrastructure of government-funded institutes.

The interdisciplinary program brings together five institute schools — from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, ETRI and KRISS — with 25 faculty members jointly supervising students. Currently, 19 enrolled students are pursuing master's and doctoral degrees at national laboratory sites, with their coursework tied directly to government-funded research projects.

UST President Kang Dae-im said quantum technology requires deeper physics-based expertise than other strategic fields such as biotech or robotics, leaving the talent pool relatively narrow and the industry and job market still in their infancy. "To build competitiveness, the key task is to create a virtuous cycle — nurturing quantum talent from the undergraduate level through policy support, providing deep research-centered education at the graduate level using the advanced infrastructure of government research institutes, and then connecting that pipeline to industry demand and employment," he said.


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com