An international weekly journal has issued a special report on the difficulties of science education in South Korea.

In a recent special edition entitled “The World of Undergraduate Education,” Science magazine said that South Korean science education was facing a crisis, as talented students are avoiding majoring in science and engineering.

The report quoted Seoul National University professor Oh Se-jung, who serves as dean of the College of Natural Sciences, as saying also that one of every five new science and engineering students required additional instruction in basic math.

Also, the magazine pointed out that, ironically, the average Korean placed less importance on science even as Korean students were sweeping international science and mathematics competitions and the government had doubled its investment in research and development for the past five years.