Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
South Korea’s scientists have been left reeling after the government proposed substantial cuts to the 2024 federal research budget. Government spending on research and development in the country has been among the highest in the world, as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP), and the announcement has sparked a rare outcry from researchers.