Ranked fifth among research institutes worldwide in the area of microplastic pollution in the marine environment

In October, the Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST, President Hong Gi-hoon) announced that it had made it onto the list of the world’s best research institutes of “Research Fronts 2016,” an annual report on various areas of scientific research that is co-produced by Clarivate Analytics and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The joint report identified a total of 180 key research fronts, including 100 hot and 80 emerging ones, based on a comprehensive analysis of scientific literature citations. Among them, it selected 28 research fronts that had achieved phenomenal results.

Research Fronts 2016 is the third collaborative report published by these two organizations.

In terms of research on microplastic pollution in the marine environment, KIOST was ranked fifth among research institutes around the world.

Dr. Sim Won-jun, an associate research fellow at KIOST, said, “I started researching microplastics in 2012, and became the first researcher in the world to discover that the weathering of Styrofoam buoys used by fish farms leads to the transfer of microplastics and toxic substances to marine organisms.” He added, “I’m pleased that the world has acknowledged this achievement, and I’d like to extend my appreciation to my fellow researchers. As a scientist, I feel that it is my responsibility to contribute to the advancement of research on the marine environment.”

This research on microplastic pollution is part of the “Study on the Environmental Risk of Marine Microplastic,” which has been conducted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries since 2012 as well as part of KIOST’s key project, “Study on the Coastal Environment Pollution Caused by Microplastic.”