China attempted to recruit nearly a quarter of the faculty of South Korea's elite tech university KAIST last year, offering lucrative packages to lure top Korean scientists, according to internal school data disclosed Saturday.

Data released by People Power Party Rep. Choi Soo-jin showed that 149 professors at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology received identical emails from the Chinese government under the subject line, "China's Invitation Program for Superior Global Scientists." Each email offered an annual salary of 2 million yuan ($280,800), along with a housing fund, social insurance and financial support for children's education. The offer required recipients to work full-time in China for a minimum of three years.

The 149 professors accounted for roughly 22 percent of KAIST's 666 faculty members.

It is not the first time China has been accused of targeting South Korea's top scientific experts. In 2020, a KAIST professor involved in Beijing's "Thousand Talents Plan" was arrested for leaking key autonomous driving technology. The program, which has faced international scrutiny, sought to attract top foreign researchers with large pay packages in exchange for sharing expertise.

The National Intelligence Service believes the recent outreach is part of a modified version of the Thousand Talents Plan. It has since conducted surveys across major universities and government-funded research institutions, identifying similar recruitment attempts.

KAIST's research security team reported the emails to authorities and launched an internal investigation. The Korea Academy of Science and Technology also said that 61.5 percent of its members have received recruitment offers from overseas research institutions, while KAIST noted that its faculty report two to three such attempts monthly.

"With Korea's technological capabilities advancing, foreign efforts to steal that expertise are becoming increasingly blatant," Rep. Choi said. "Research security is national security. We must urgently revise the National Research and Development Innovation Act to come up with a system that ensures research institutions can respond swiftly and effectively to such threats."

China tried to recruit 149 KAIST professors in 2024