Approval of Yoo Wook-jun as the Next President of the National Academy of Science and Technology

Term to Begin from March Next Year

Yoo Wook-jun, next president of the National Academy of Science and Technology.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Yoo Wook-jun, Professor Emeritus at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), has been elected as the next president of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology, the nation's premier scholarly institution in science and technology. The Academy announced on the 25th that it approved Professor Yoo as the 10th president during the '2021 2nd Regular General Meeting' held at 3 p.m. on the 23rd. Previously, Professor Yoo was elected through a vote conducted among 490 full members of the Academy from September to October. He will serve a three-year term from March 2022 to February 2025.

As Korea's first molecular biologist, Professor Yoo served as a KAIST professor for 34 years since 1982 and achieved world-class research outcomes in molecular biology and medical science, including creating Korea's first transgenic large animal, 'Medi (black goat)'.

He also significantly contributed to training medical scientists by planning and implementing a Korean-style physician-scientist training program. From 1992 for ten years, he volunteered to educate 1,200 doctors in molecular biology, which became the foundation for establishing KAIST's Medical Science Research Center and Graduate School of Medical Science, Korea's first specialized medical science research institution.

President-elect Yoo stated, “I intend to strengthen science and technology cooperation with domestic science and technology policymakers, government agencies, and international science and technology organizations,” adding, “I will actively propose scientific and technological solutions to social issues to fulfill the Academy's social responsibilities and contribute to social development.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.