The Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) announced that, on July 28 at Noumea, New Caledonia, it signed a business cooperation agreement with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) for the purpose of strengthening mutual cooperation in joint research.

Founded in 1947, the SPC is an organization with 26 members, including 22 Pacific Island countries and territories and its four founding countries (Australia, New Zealand, France, and the U.S.), that carries out research in fields related to the marine ecosystem, geoscience, and island states in order to prepare for and address climate change and various natural disasters. It customizes and applies the results of its research to each region with the goal of enhancing the welfare of island residents of the Pacific region.

The two organizations now aim to increase their mutual cooperation in terms of forecasting and observing changes in oceanic climates with a view to improving the quality of life on the islands of the Pacific as well as in conducting research on the development of marine life and mineral resources.

KIOST President Hong Gi-hoon said, “The SPC is an ideal partner in our efforts to expand KIOST’s scope of research to the tropical Pacific region, and we hope to work together on many joint research projects in the future.” He went on to add, “As a result of this new partnership, we expect not only to cultivate new fields of research in the tropical Pacific region but also achieve tangible research results for the future industrialization of the marine and fisheries sectors.”

Experts predict that the two partners will be able to conduct cooperative research in various fields of marine science utilizing the Isabu, a large research vessel to be launched in the second half of 2016, and during Phase 2 of the operation of KIOST’s marine observation satellite, which is planned for 2019.