It is unfortunate that so many people underestimate China's technological prowess

They have already overtaken us in most fields except for semiconductors and shipbuilding,
and the gap is widening in most sectors such as bio, aerospace, displays, electric vehicles, AI, and robotics.
The consensus is that shipbuilding will be caught up to within about 5 years,
and even semiconductors are at a level where we cannot afford to be complacent.
It is truly unfortunate that people are still dismissing and looking down on China's technological capabilities
with a mindset stuck in the 90s or early 2000s.
China might not even be conscious of Korea anymore.
They calmly accept it, thinking, "Even if you make noise and ignore us, we will continue on our own path."
They no longer react defensively like they used to, saying, "Who do you think you are to ignore us!! We have this technology and this much popularity!!"
Regarding the phenomenon of everyone flocking to medical school, it wouldn't be so bad if it contributed to the development of medical technology or the pharmaceutical industry,
but in reality, people go into medicine solely for the sake of stability and high income, so things won't improve.
It is hard to criticize the trend of rushing into medical school
when the government has created an environment where doctors inevitably become "celestial beings" (the elite class);
I think it would be stranger not to go. If it were me, I would definitely go to medical school if I could.
What is even more bleak is that the government has no will to fix this and is leaving it alone,
with a mindset of "let's just leave it be since there are no immediate problems."
Even the call to favor STEM fields feels hopeless;
In the case of China, the salary gap between production workers and Master's/PhD holders is more than threefold.
In other words, they clearly differentiate and treat Master's and PhD holders—who have spent much time studying—accordingly,
whereas in Korea, simple production workers (at large corporations) end up earning the same as or even more than Master's and PhD holders.
The priorities have been reversed.
In this situation, to properly compensate Master's and PhD holders in STEM, corporate labor costs would inevitably skyrocket,
which would naturally lead to a decline in competitiveness.
I believe that both those who ignored China and those who were holding on with groundless pride
will have no choice but to tangibly recognize China within the next 5 years.