A Policy Text Created from History: Choi Hyung Sup’s Theory of Scientific and Technological Development Applicable to Developing Countries

Choi Hyung Sup’s Gaebaldosangguk-ui gwahak gisul gaebal jeollyak (Development Strategies for Science and Technology in Developing Countries) trilogy is a seminal work covering science and technology policy studies in Korea, though it is not often evaluated as such, instead usually being treated as a history. This paper will describe the background and intended meaning of his publication through an examination of the Choi Hyung Sup Archives at Jeonbuk National University and a review of the English-language version of Development Strategies. Based on Korean history of the 1960s and 1970s, Choi’s text reflects his experiences at KIST. Writing for an international audience, Choi does not mention any of the significant policy changes that occurred in the 1980s (when the work was published in English), such as the reorganization of Korea’s government-funded research institutes and the establishment of a national R&D program. I also examine how Choi’s ideas are distinct from those of contemporaneous non-Korean scholars who also wrote on the area. Finally, I discuss the present value of the framework Choi articulated in these volumes by tracing how the work is currently utilized in Korea’s official development assistance efforts.