International science as national project: lessons from South Korea for the future of international research collaboration

Debate over the future of international science takes place in light of two trends that are frequently interpreted as standing in tension with each other. The longer-term pattern shows that science is increasingly an international endeavour, as collaboration across borders has grown. A more recent apparent re-nationalisation of science, however, raises questions over the march of international science. Geopolitical challenges and technological shifts have made researchers and research institutions think more carefully about international collaboration, which is now portrayed as a potential liability. Against this background, this essay examines the way that national context shapes international science collaboration through the study of a single country. International science has in South Korea long been tied to national projects. Even as the country assimilated into international research networks and became a liberal democracy, the value of international science remained attached to national objectives. The integration seen in South Korea of national purpose and international collaboration demonstrates that current conversations about the future of international collaboration can proceed without exaggerating tension between the national and the international. Reflection on this example also contributes to scholarship on global science by illuminating a set of intersections between national science systems and global science.