Research misconduct could bring a 20-year ban from state-funded R&D

Researchers who commit serious misconduct in South Korea’s state-funded projects will face what amounts to expulsion from government research for up to 20 years, twice the current maximum.

The Ministry of Science and ICT said the Cabinet approved a promulgation bill on Tuesday for amendments to the National R&D Innovation Act. The National Assembly passed the legislation on Aug. 20, and it will take effect in March 2027, six months after promulgation.

The changes respond to criticism that existing penalties lacked force even when researchers misused development funds or committed other violations. The amendment extends the participation ban from 10 to 20 years for research misconduct, targeting malicious or repeated offenses. It also increases the ceiling for a financial surcharge from five times the research funds paid to 30 times. The ministry said the tougher penalties would address serious cases such as taking student labor costs or using research money for personal purposes.

The law will also give heads of central government agencies a legal basis to file complaints or request investigations when they suspect a crime. At the same time, the government plans to change how projects are judged. It scrapped results-focused grading and scoring in July and will now assess the innovation of research goals at the selection stage. Interim and final reviews will use qualitative assessments focused on the excellence of outcomes and the research process, with incentives for strong projects. The amendment will also allow “excellent challenge projects” to continue into follow-up research when they fall short of their targets but produce outstanding knowledge through trial and error.