President-elect Park Geun-hye vowed Thursday to boost the country's science and technology sector, crediting it with driving economic growth both in the past and in the future, a spokesman said.

"Although there are many difficulties in the science and technology sector, I believe science and technology are the engine for future growth, and I will do my best to use developments in science and technology as a foundation for our country's advancement into a developed country," spokesman Park Sun-kyoo quoted her as saying at a New Year's meeting with scientists.

An electronic engineering major, the president-elect has pledged to create a new ministry tasked with overseeing the science and technology sector in a way that leads to more innovative jobs.

"I will resolve the difficulties of the science and technology sector one by one so that our science and technology can lead the world," Park said.

She also assured the scientists that despite the economic difficulty, she will increase state investment in scientific research and create an environment in which they can concentrate on their research.

"I will adopt science and technology as a key principle of my administration and make new policies based on creativity," she said. (Yonhap News)