President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged monthly state support of at least 800-thousand won, or around 600 U.S. dollars, for full-time graduate students and at least one-point-one million won for PhD students in natural sciences and engineering participating in national research and development projects.

At a tenth round of the new year presidential public forum in the central city of Daejeon on Friday, Yoon promised full support for the students so they can focus on their academic pursuits without concerns about tuition or living expenses.

He said eligibility for the Presidential Science Scholarship offered to undergraduate students will expand to include graduate students, with the scholarship amount increasing to 25 million won on a yearly average.

Referring to the deregulation of 26 research institutes from state agency designation and streamlining of red tape on their operation, Yoon called to improve organizational and personnel hiring systems to attract talented researchers to raise competitiveness against overseas institutes.

The president also vowed to turn Daejeon into a science megalopolis through creation of a second research complex at Daedeok Innopolis and linking of a high-speed railway service through the central Chungcheong region.