S. Korean expert elected vice chair of OECD science and technology policy committee

A South Korean science and technology policy expert has been elected vice chair of the OECD's Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy, which guides science and innovation policy discussions among major economies. The election is expected to strengthen South Korea's influence in international science and technology policy forums.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) said Lee Myung-hwa, head of its Global Strategy Division, was elected vice chair at the 129th plenary session of the Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy, held at OECD headquarters in Paris from Wednesday through Friday.

The OECD's Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy, established in 1972, is a key international body that facilitates cooperation on science and technology policy and innovation strategy among member countries. It oversees a range of expert working parties, including the Working Party on Innovation and Technology Policy, the Working Party of National Experts on Science and Technology Indicators, the Working Party on Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and Converging Technologies, and the Global Science Forum.

Beginning in 2027, Lee will help lead the committee alongside a chair from Austria and five other vice chairs from the United Kingdom, Japan, Switzerland, Iceland and Turkey. She can be reappointed annually and serve until 2031 at the latest.

The election is notable as it marks the return of a South Korean expert to the CSTP bureau, following Jang Yong-seok, who served as CSTP chair from 2021 to 2025.

Lee has represented South Korea on the CSTP since 2017. Since 2024, she has also served as vice chair of the committee's Working Party on Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and Converging Technologies, deepening her involvement in international science and technology policy discussions.

She also contributed to the OECD recommendation on quantum technology published in June and is involved in drafting a forthcoming recommendation on emerging biotechnologies. She additionally serves as an advisory committee member for the Global Technology Forum, which addresses international norms for emerging technologies.

Lee holds a background in biopolitics, a field combining biotechnology and political science. She joined STEPI in 2012 and has held a series of positions, including head of the National R&D Analysis Division, head of the R&D Strategy Research Division and director of the Global Strategy Office, before assuming her current role as head of the Global Strategy Division.

She has also served as a non-standing director of the National Research Council of Science and Technology and as a member of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Health and Medical Technology Policy Deliberation Committee, building expertise in science and technology governance, biotech regulation and international cooperation.

"The role of CSTP vice chair has never been more consequential, given the deepening uncertainty driven by the securitization of science and technology and rising geopolitical tensions," Lee said. "I will work to lead international norm-setting discussions on emerging technologies and serve as a bridge ensuring that global agendas translate into advances in domestic science and technology policy."