Korean Academy of Science and Engineering
Encyclopedia
The Korean Academy of Science and Technology (KAST) is the Republic of Korea’s highest academy of science and serves as an integrated think-tank for science and technology of South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

. It contributes to national development by promoting science and technology through active participation of its member scientists and engineers who have demonstrated professional excellence domestically and internationally in their respective fields.

KAST will contribute to the globalization of science and technology by playing the role of the principal contact point for international cooperation and information exchanges, through bilateral and/or multilateral academic exchange programs with foreign academies, public semi-scientific lectures and "Science Hall of Fame" program, cooperation with international scientific and technological organizations, and friendly relations and exchanges with overseas scholars.

KAST was founded in 1994 to play a strong role in helping Korea climb the technology ladder. KAST has also served to encourage cooperation between scientists in South and North Korea in the science and technology sector. The non-profit institute has also strengthened global cooperation by operating the secretariat for the 17-member Association of Academies of Science in Asia (AASA) since 2000.

International Standing

KAST is an internationally recognized academy of science. KAST has 34 Nobel Laureates amongst its foreign members including Steven Chu
Steven Chu
Steven Chu is an American physicist and the 12th United States Secretary of Energy. Chu is known for his research at Bell Labs in cooling and trapping of atoms with laser light, which won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997, along with his scientific colleagues Claude Cohen-Tannoudji and...

 is a co-winner of Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 and currently the head of the U.S. Department of Energy, Robert B. Laughlin
Robert B. Laughlin
Robert Betts Laughlin is a professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Stanford University. Along with Horst L. Störmer of Columbia University and Daniel C. Tsui of Princeton University, he was awarded a share of the 1998 Nobel Prize in physics for their explanation of the fractional quantum Hall...

, head of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Jerome I. Friedman, who earned the 1990 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Awards

KAST and DuPont Korea cooperate in awarding the "DuPont Science Award”. The award recognizes Korean scientists' contribution to scientific studies and advancement in the country and serves to encourage further excellence.

Leadership

Chung Kun-mo, former a department head at the International Atomic Energy Agency
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...

(IAEA), took the helm of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology (KAST) in February, 2004 at the state-sponsored institutes headquarters in Pundang, Kyonggi Province. Under his leadership Korea strives to open the door to third generation technology by taking the initiative in the global high-tech fields, and promoting cutting-edge technologies.
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