Illustration: Liu Xidan/GT

　　A recent assessment by South Korea"s Ministry of Science and ICT has prompted heated discussion online. The Yonhap News Agency reported that a review of 11 priority sectors and 136 core scientific technologies found that the technological gap between South Korea and China had widened between 2022 and 2024.

　　In strategic technologies, even making secondary batteries - which Yonhap reported were previously the only field in which South Korea was assessed to hold a lead - are now judged to have been surpassed by China.

　　Secondary batteries, also known as rechargeable or storage batteries, are generally understood to include lithium-ion batteries commonly used in mobile phones and laptops, as well as lead-acid batteries in electric vehicles. Multiple publicly available sources indicate that in recent years China has made rapid progress in this field, advancing in basic research, innovation capabilities, and the pace of industrialization.

　　The trend extends across a wider range of technological fields. Yonhap reported that an assessment of 50 national strategic technologies found South Korea was behind the US by 2.6 years, while China was behind by 1.4 years. Relative to 2022, South Korea narrowed its gap by 0.4 years, whereas China reduced its gap by 0.8 years. Yonhap interpreted the findings as suggesting that the technological distance between South Korea and China has kept to expand.

　　South Korea has invested significantly in technological development in recent years, achieving notable accomplishments and maintaining a distinctive position among developed economies. Its automobile, semiconductor, and shipbuilding industries have made important breakthroughs, supported by access to international markets.