KOREA INSTITUTE OF GEOSCIENCE AND MINERAL RESOURCES

Congratulation KIGAM! Commemorating KIGAM Centennial Anniversary!

The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM, President Kim Bok Chul) celebrated its 70th anniversary of foundation and the 100th anniversary of its origin on September 13.

*KIGAM was officially founded on September 13, 1948. However, KIGAM is originated its history from Korea Geological Survey in 1918. All KIGAM employees voted to decide on the ‘70th anniversary from the foundation of KIGAM’, and the ‘100th anniversary from its origination of Korea Geological Survey’ considering the historial backgrounds of modern Korean history and empirical foundlings of historians.

At the ceremony, more than 600 people were attended, and many high-level VIPs also joined to congratulate KIGAM’s centennial anniversary, including Korea National Assembly Member Mr. Lee Sang-min, the Director of the R&D Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Science and ICT, Mr. Jung Byeong Seon, and the Chairperson of the National Research Council of Science & Technology(NST), Dr. Whon, Kwangyun.

As for the opening ceremony, KIGAM specially made a video footage for putting altogether for the last KIGAM history of century. At the beginning, Mr. You Young Min, the Minister of the Ministry of Science & ICT and Dr. John Ludden from the British Geological Survey (BGS), and KIGAM’s former presidents were sending us the congratulatory remarks for the memorial video.

The special second half of the ceremony was ‘Opening of KIGAM Commemoration Hall’. The Hall has 6 exhibitions and 2 independent sections, including KIGAM 100-year-long history and R&D achievements, interview footages of KIGAM predecessors and doyen, research tools and equipments from the past, and registered cultural articles of very first geological maps from Korea in 1956 (Register Number 604) and Chosen Empire period (Register Number 603).

Also, the ceremony also held to the ‘Homecoming Day Event’. KIGAM invited senior researchers to the party, and have the time for reminiscing of good old days and history and share those experiences with the younger generation of today. At the Homecoming Day Event, seniors and juniors were getting together for sharing new KIGAM visions and had a chance to glance what our possibilities can be in the future.

Dr. Kim Bok Chul, President of KIGAM, said "The 100th anniversary of origination from Korean Geological Survey & the 70th anniversary of actual foundation of KIGAM is the result of all the hard works and sweats of all employees." Also, he mentioned that “KIGAM will be the organization, which responds to the nation and the people with our research works on social issues like earthquakes, North & South Koreas co-developments on natural resources, volcanic research on Beakdu Mountain, climate chages.”