South Korea’s technological gap with China has widened across key strategic sectors, according to a new government assessment, with Beijing now surpassing Seoul even in the one field where South Korea had previously held a clear advantage.
The findings come from a 2024 Technology Level Assessment report submitted by South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT to the National Science and Technology Advisory Council. The evaluation covered 136 core technologies across 11 fields, drawing on quantitative analysis of papers and patents from the U.S., EU, China, Japan, and South Korea, as well as qualitative surveys from 1,180 experts.
Using the United States as the global benchmark at 100 percent, the overall technology levels were ranked as follows: the EU at 93.8 percent, China at 86.8 percent, Japan at 86.2 percent, and South Korea at 82.8 percent. In terms of the time gap with the U.S., South Korea trails by 2.8 years and China by 2.1 years — meaning China now leads South Korea by 0.7 years, up from a 0.2-year gap when China first overtook South Korea in 2022.
The divergence is even sharper in the 50 national strategic technologies. South Korea’s gap with the U.S. narrowed by 0.4 years since 2022 to 2.6 years, but China closed its gap by a faster 0.8 years, now trailing the U.S. by just 1.4 years.
Perhaps most striking is the reversal in secondary batteries — rechargeable cells used in electric vehicles and electronics. South Korea had led China by 0.9 years in 2022, but by 2024, China has taken first place, with South Korea now falling 0.2 years behind. In semiconductors and displays, another South Korean stronghold, China has also edged ahead, with a technology level of 91.5 percent versus South Korea’s 91.2 percent.
Source: Yonhap News Agency, February 22, 2026
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