President Yoon Suk Yeol says the only way for a nation to survive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and global competition over technological hegemony is to foster remarkable talents in science and technology. 

Yoon made the remark on Wednesday during the first meeting of a national council on nurturing talents at the Kumoh National Institute of Technology in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province. 

He said science and technology are the engines that drive the development of a nation, adding that fostering talents in those fields is of utmost importance. 

The president stressed the need for such efforts to be carried out in regional universities. 

He said  such institutions are key to ushering in a true era of rural areas, stressing that such an era can be opened when regional universities and industries as well as local governments discover their region’s strengths and competitive edges in science and technology. 

Yoon said South Korea was able to successfully industrialize despite difficult conditions and emerge as a strong economy by fostering talents and investing in related efforts.