Korea Polar Research Institute

Korea Polar Research Institute, a statutory and government-funded research institution, is the lead agency for Korea’s national Polar program for both the Arctic and the Antarctic. Major research pillars of KOPRI focus on climate change, biodiversity, and geological evolution. Based on these three strategic objectives 11 in-house projects plus nine national R&D projects have been implemented.

A research entity as well as logistics provider, KOPRI plays a role of a hub for national research efforts; KOPRI advises the Korean government on polar affairs and organizes public outreach programs. In addition, KOPRI has been an active participant in various international Arctic and Antarctic organizations and fora such as the IASC, FARO, ATCM, CCAMLR, SCAR, and COMNAP.

KOPRI carries out the management and operation of the two Antarctic stations of King Sejong and Jang Bogo, the Arctic Dasan Station in Svalbard and the research icebreaker, Araon.

KOPRI also provides Masters and Ph.D. programs in Polar sciences as a campus of the University of Science and Technology (UST) in Korea. Various courses are offered in the field of natural sciences including geology, oceanography and meteorology, as well as multi-omics studies of various polar organisms using genomics, proteomics and metabolomics for elucidate of adaptations and evolution of polar biota. In addition, introductory courses on the polar environment and in-depth courses with lectures and experiments.