President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Gun-hee met with Presidential Science Scholars and International Science Olympiad winners 2022 at the Blue House guesthouse at 10 a.m. on December 22.They delivered congratulations and encouragement, having a sincere conversation with future scientists.
President Yoon and his wife congratulated students who were selected as presidential science scholarship by presenting scholarship certificates and medals.For International Science Olympiad winners, president gave commemorative plaques and awards.
President Yoon said in a speech of encouragement, "The free and convenient life we enjoy now is because there were senior scientists who constantly pursued their own path without giving up on numerous trials, errors and failures." Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of research autonomy, fairness in evaluation, and a legitimate compensation system, noting that he thinks science develops when freedom and creativity bloom. Adding to that, referring to the plan to support scientific talent, the president emphasized that the government will be a strong helper for future scientists.
During the ‘Conversation with Future Scientists.’ students freely asked the president and his wife about their dreams, aspirations, concerns, and interests. Informal communication between the president and future scientists took place.
A total of 230 people attended the event, including 184 students and 9 heads of the International Science Olympiad, including 140 presidential science scholarship students (freshman and junior year of university), 44 winners of the International Science Olympiad (middle and high school students).
