‘Platform 9 and 3/4’ that Harry Potter passed through… “Strict quantum science”

In the movie Ant-Man, the protagonist explores the unknown 'Quantum Realm' where the laws of space and time have collapsed by shrinking to a size smaller than an atom, and in the movie Interstellar, gravity is controlled using quantum mechanical data transmitted by the protagonist trapped in the center of a black hole (singularity), saving humanity from extinction.

In fact, Interstellar is said to be a work that was completed based on thorough theoretical physics calculations, with Kip Thorne, professor emeritus at the California Institute of Technology, USA, winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics, participating from the beginning of the planning process.

Of course, the unconventional settings such as body reduction and time travel that appear in the film are products of cinematic imagination. However, the basic laws of quantum mechanics, such as quantum superposition, quantum entanglement, and quantum tunneling, which are the foundation of that imagination, are a strictly realistic science that humanity has already clearly identified experimentally.

A representative example is the 'quantum tunneling' phenomenon, which is reminiscent of the scene in the Harry Potter movie series where the main character passes through the solid wall of 'Platform 9 and 3/4'.

In the microscopic world, where energy is not continuous but exists as a discontinuous mass (quantum), and particles have the stochastic nature of waves, strange things actually happen where particles pass through energy barriers that can never be overcome by classical physics.

This tunneling phenomenon, which looks like magic passing through walls, is already deeply embedded in modern people's daily lives, being used as a core principle for storing data by trapping electrons in NAND flash memory in smartphones and SSDs (solid state drives).

According to the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) on the 14th, quantum science technologies such as quantum computers have recently been attracting attention as new technologies that will change the future industrial landscape. In fact, it has already been over 100 years since humanity began theoretically exploring the unknown territory of quantum.

Starting with Werner Heisenberg's presentation of matrix mechanics in 1925, Erwin Schrödinger's wave equation in 1926 and the uncertainty principle in 1927 were successively established, laying the foundation for modern quantum mechanics.

In particular, the 5th Solvay Conference held in Brussels, Belgium in 1927 was a historic event where the best scholars of the time gathered, with 17 of the 29 attendees being Nobel Prize winners (including those awarded at the time and afterward), explained Choi Jae-hyuk, head of the KRISS Quantum Technology Research Institute.

The United Nations (UN) officially declared 2025 as the ‘International Year of Quantum Science and Technology’ in honor of a century of academic achievements.

In this way, quantum mechanics, which has been established over a century, never remained only a theory in the laboratory.

Director Choi emphasized that the so-called 'first quantum revolution', which understood the quantum mechanical behavior that exists in the natural world and applied it to devices and devices, has already completely changed the foundation of modern civilization and daily life.

Director Choi said, “Representative examples include ultra-fine semiconductor chips for computers and smartphones, which were created by identifying the discontinuous energy levels of electrons, and lasers, which changed the face of communication and precision surgery by applying the principle of electron light emission,” and added, “From magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in hospitals, which enabled precise diagnosis using the spin characteristics of atomic nuclei, to atomic clocks that synchronize data communication with global navigation system (GPS) positions without a one-second error using the natural frequency of atoms, modern “The core technologies that support civilization are all practical results of quantum mechanics,” he said.

If the first quantum revolution in the past was the stage where semiconductors, communication, and medical devices were created by observing and utilizing quantum phenomena in the natural world, it is said that we are currently crossing the threshold of the 'second quantum revolution', which artificially directly manipulates and controls the quantum states of superposition and entanglement.

Director Choi emphasized, “This new perspective that goes beyond the limits of the visible macro world and precisely understands and controls the invisible micro world is the decisive key that will lead human civilization to a completely different level. The second quantum revolution, unfolding on top of the legacy of physics accumulated over the past 100 years, will be a powerful catalyst that causes a huge quantum jump in human society as a whole.”

The ‘quantum war’ that will shake up the landscape of global technological hegemony is heading towards an all-out war.

In June, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a major executive order directing federal agencies to deploy quantum computers for scientific research in the field by 2028 and introduce defense quantum sensors to replace existing GPS within five years.

A national strategy encompassing both offense and defense was formalized, including mandating the transition to quantum-resistant cryptography (PQC) by 2031 to prepare for the threat of quantum computers that can neutralize existing standard encryption systems.

China is also fighting back by building its own 'quantum science citadel', breaking through the Western world's checks in all fields of quantum communication, quantum computing, and quantum sensing, based on massive state-led capital and mega projects.

The Korean government also selected quantum as one of the '7 SEED' fields, the country's future growth engine, in August and is making every effort to secure technological sovereignty, including the development of domestically produced quantum computers.

In order to overcome technological dependence, industry, academia, and research entities, led by KRISS, the representative national measurement standards organization, are concentrating their capabilities to defend ‘Korea’s bilateral sovereignty.’

KRISS is carrying out the responsibilities of a 'national quantum hub' (Q-Hub) that encompasses the entire Korean quantum science and technology ecosystem, from a think tank that lays the foundation for national quantum policy to creating an industrial ecosystem and nurturing key talent.

Lee Yong-ho, director of the KRISS Superconducting Quantum Computing Systems Research Center, said, “Quantum computing goes beyond simple calculation devices or products, and is a core strategic technology that can be directly linked to export control and weaponization.” He added, “In order to avoid technological dependence in the global war for hegemony and protect Korea’s technological sovereignty, local production through independent technology is not an option, but a necessity.”