On May 16, the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) announced the appointment of Dr. Kim Woong-Seo, a senior researcher at the Deep-sea and Seabed Mineral Resources Research Center, as its 10th president.

President Kim Woong-Seo graduated from Seoul National University in 1981 and received his doctorate from the State University of New York (SUNY). In 1993, he joined the Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute, which later became KIOST, and served in such major positions as head of the Marine Resource Research Department, head of the Senior Research Department, and First Vice President. He has also overseen research on the “Development of the Technology for Deep-sea Manned and Unmanned Submersible Vehicles and the Establishment of Operational Infrastructure” as the principle investigator of the project. In addition, he has served as the president of the Korean Society of Oceanography, a member of the Yeosu Expo Organizing Committee responsible for planning and research, and a member of the Legal and Technical Commission of the International Seabed Authority and was awarded the Order of Industrial Service Merit in 2003.

Kim was appointed by the provisional board of KIOST and confirmed after the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries approved the appointment. His four-year term begins on May 17, 2018.