KAIST

Distinguished guests, students, and colleagues.

I am very pleased to welcome you all to KAIST’s Seoul campus. Thank you for joining us today.

Especially, it is my great honor to host the P4G Innovation Sprint final in the presence of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Denmark at KAIST.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest respect to the Crown Prince’s strong patronage and distinguished leadership to address climate change and advocate for global sustainability. On behalf of KAIST, I would like to extend my thanks to the Crown Prince once again.

As the Crown Prince mentioned, KAIST has very special relationship with the Crown Prince Couple. The Crown Prince sent a letter to the Crown Princess’s father, Professor John Donaldson who worked at KAIST, asking for his approval for them to marry. Professor Donaldson sent a “YES” letter written on beautiful Korean traditional paper called ‘hanji,’ to the Crown Prince. So, their love was officially sealed and approved at KAIST.

I would also like to thank SK, Velux, and Hempel who are supporting this P4G Innovation Sprint.

Distinguished guests,

The Technical University of Denmark is KAIST’s very special partner. More than 250 students from KAIST and DTU have studied at both universities so far.

We have highly valued history of collaboration and cooperation, especially in sustainability and green technology. We are making significant progress on joint research in the fields of bio-refineries, wind power, and systems engineering. We greatly value these partnerships and look forward to expanding them even further to benefit humanity.

I am also very pleased that we are co-hosting this special event with DTU as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Denmark and Korea and the 8th anniversary of the Green Growth Alliance between the two countries.

Back in 1959 when our diplomatic ties were established, Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world with a per capita GDP less than 100 US dollars. Our future seemed hopeless.

The Korean government established KAIST in 1971 at this campus in Seoul with a six-million dollar loan from US Aid to foster scientists and engineers who were urgently needed for the industrialization of Korea.

Over the past five decades, KAIST has fulfilled its mission passionately and faithfully, thus far producing over 64,000 graduates, including 13,000 PhDs. Our alumni have played pivotal roles in Korea’s remarkable economic growth. KAIST has been the gateway for advanced science and technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship in Korea.

For instance, in the semiconductor industry, which is dominating the global market, one in every four PhDs is a KAIST graduate. KAIST alumni account for 23% of the leadership positions in the science community of Korea.

KAIST has earned a global reputation as a world-class university. Now, we envision becoming a world-leading university that can impact the global community and contribute to global sustainability.

Distinguished guests,

Global problems need global answers. Technology has changed everything by creating a set of global existential threats that no nation can solve on its own. We must work together more closely to forge a better future together.

Recent research has already proved that warmer temperatures from climate change have widened the gap in wealth between richer and poorer countries, effectively boosting the economies of many wealthy polluters while dampening growth in much of the developing world. Inequality between the haves and have-nots is 25% greater than it would be in a cooler world.

A report by the International Panel on Climate Change says that if we limit global warming to 1.5˚C above pre-industrial levels compared to 2˚C, we could save the lives of 10 million people. The Paris Agreement also announced that it would be possible to limit global warming to 1.5˚C through poverty eradication and the reduction of social inequalities.

At this time, I would like to recognize the Danish government’s efforts and leadership in accelerating global partnerships for climate change and sustainability issues.

The P4G (the Partnering for Green Growth and Global Goals) Summit in Copenhagen last year gathered heads of states and governments, as well as business, academia, and civil society around the world to form a powerful coalition that is working to meet the Sustainable Development Goals through innovative partnerships.

It is quite notable that Korean President Moon Jae In stressed the importance of green growth for pursuing the inclusive and innovative development of Korea while attending the P4G Summit in Denmark last year.

I hope that the Fourth Industrial Revolution will provide strong momentum to address the imbalance and inequalities that the past industrial revolutions created. In this regard, green growth and sustainable development will be another driving force for creating new economic value.

Because climate change and sustainability issues involve the complex intersection of diverse disciplines, interwoven with geopolitics and the global economy, I would like to stress that collaboration across boundaries is most critical for responding to these issues.

In this context, this P4G Innovation Sprint is a shining example for demonstrating the collaborative efforts between teammates from diverse disciplines, from environmental engineering to digital media and from biological sciences to international relations. When we work together and build convergent ideas, we will be more innovative and go further.

I am so excited to hear your final pitches and wish you all success and good luck.

Thank you very much.

May 22, 2019