The Ministry of Science and Technology said Tuesday that South Korea will try to become one of the three leading nations in the field of nanotechnology by 2020.

A nationwide roadmap for the research and development of the related technologies has been drawn up by 83 scientists and other experts over the past two years, the ministry said. The roadmap expects that Korean companies and institutions using various nanotechnology will earn about $260 billion a year by around 2015 and $500 billion in 2020, about 20 percent of the global market.

``The nanotechnology will lead the technology evolution in the nation's major industries, and will be a growth engine in emerging industries,'' the ministry said in a release.

Nanotechnology refers broadly to a field of technology and science that deals with the methods of processing materials on the molecular scale, normally 1 to 100 billionth of a meter. It is used in a wide range of industries, such as computer chips, steel, chemicals, cosmetics, textiles and medicine.

The ministry's roadmap categorizes nanotechnology into four sectors ― nano-element, nano-manufacturing, nano-bio and nano-energy and environment technology.

The plan was drawn by the Korea Nanotechnology Research Society, chaired by Seoul National University professor Han Min-koo. The group is to hold a public hearing session on the roadmap on Thursday.

The final draft will be submitted to the National Science & Technology Council in the first half of this year. Once approved, it will be used as a guideline to support and fund public and private research and development projects in nanotechnology.

Jan. 15, 2008