과학기술기반 미래연구사업 IX :총괄보고서

Korean society faces serious challenges, such as sudden changes in domestic and international politics and uncertainty in the economic environment. Beyond material value meaning power and economic might, the time has come for us question what is important to human life, and change our standards. There is a strong basis now for starting a social debate in order to establish an alternative vision. Innovation-based growth in the universal sense is the mission of our time and should be the biggest priority of the each government. There are two major reasons we found. First, Korea’s growth potential has fallen to the mid-two percent level, which poses the biggest challenge to our economy. Without drastic enhancement of productivity through innovation, it will inevitably fall to the zero percent level. Second, we cannot fall behind in the global competition for innovation in the era of the fourth industrial revolution, where existing production systems, industrial and employment structures, living patterns and spending and competition paradigms are all changing. 2017 Future Studies focused on the practical use of the project and organic linkages between accomplishments. Focusing on future research for strategy formulation and policy proposals, the STEPI Center for Strategic Foresight has conducted detailed research activities, including constructing a knowledge base, intensifying networks and the expand of knowledge. Although such activities, each with separate processes created customized research achievements for the government, expert groups and citizens, they have never been driven by an integrated process to address a particular future research topic. This year, however, we tried to link the independent framework activities organically, in order to predict and analyze the impact of ‘Intelligent Information Technology’, which is the key driving force of the fourth industrial revolution. Most of all, we found key-words for the latest future study issues and research trends, and adapted the latest methodology to the research design using real-time future study system for constructing the knowledge base. Following this process, we conducted our first policy research ‘Global Trends and Korea : Science and Technological Levels of Preparation’, and as we recognized that it was necessary to examine ‘Intelligence Information Technology’, the driving force of the theme, a second policy research study was conducted on ‘The Influence of Intelligence Information Technology on Knowledge Production and the Expansion of Science Research.’ Additionally, the results of the study and the data arranged in the intermediate process were used for expand of knowledge, such as in the theme of a quarterly magazine which dealt with the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution and the contents of a future issue toolkit. The core value of future foresight lies in its ‘applicability for better policy design.’ In order to actively apply the results of research and knowledge as a policy decision tool, there needs to be a practical discussion on the future vision and agenda for society as a whole. In the long run, we hope to make a future roadmap for social value realization which will accord with our environment. When this process is systemized, our society will be able to construct a community which can cope actively with innovation and change. We anticipate that these studies will contribute to the production of knowledge about the future and raise research capability. Furthermore, we hope this report will be helpful in improving ‘future literacy’ by widening awareness of what lies ahead.