Science ministry pledges quantum support at Seoul National University lab visit

The science ministry said Thursday that First Vice Minister Koo Hyuk-chae visited a domestic ion-trap quantum computer research site at Seoul National University and held a meeting on how to turn the research into startups and commercial products.

At the session, Koo watched a demonstration of a quantum computer that links a locally developed chip, control equipment and software, the Ministry of Science and ICT said, and heard about the difficulties researchers face in moving their work into businesses and the support they say they need.

The visit is part of the government's push behind the seven SEED projects, announced on Aug. 12 as future growth engines, with quantum technology among the selected fields.

Koo described the seven SEED projects as a core policy for preparing the next-generation industries that will lead South Korea in 10 to 20 years. "It is important that investment in the future leads to tangible results such as startup founding and commercialization," he said. "In the quantum field in particular, I will strengthen policy support so that an industrial ecosystem can be built in which companies grow based on research results and the market can expand quickly."

Kim Tae-hyun, a professor at Seoul National University, spoke on the public sector's role in creating an early market, while Sohn Young-woo, a professor at Korea University, presented ways to encourage researchers to found companies and to support their growth afterward. Participants in a general discussion, including venture capital investors, addressed the need to draw risk capital into the quantum sector and weighed improvements to investment conditions and institutions.