The “technology drive policy” is the flagship science and technology policy implemented by the 5th Republic during the second stage of the plans for economic development. It held that technological innovation should not only support economic growth, but lead the advancement of the economy. Therefore, the technology drive policy was not merely a policy for science and technology; it was a national agenda that stood above all economic and industrial policies.
The Expanded Assembly for Technology Promotion was the 5th Republic’s main council overseeing matters related to science and technology policy. It was where main issues of the technology drive policy were discussed, and where major policy announcements were made to the public. The President himself presided the council, and cabinet members and politicians of both ruling and opposition parties were associated with the Assembly. The Assembly was composed of approximately 200 individuals representing a diverse array of fields.
This research addresses the contexts and processes behind the creation of the technology drive policy and the Assembly, two elements considered to be the core of science and technology policy of the 1980s. Some aspects widely praised as unique characteristics of the 5th Republic, such as private-sector leadership, emphasis on high-technology, and selection R&D programs, can be traced back to their roots in the Park Chung Hee era. However, the 5th Republic did not adopt these policies in a passive manner, but adapted them by giving new meanings and creating new roles.