[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Lee Kyung-soo, appointed on the 10th as the Director General (Vice Minister level) of the Science and Technology Innovation Headquarters at the Ministry of Science and ICT, is a nuclear fusion physicist who led the development of the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR), known as the Korean artificial sun.
Born in Daegu in 1956, the new director general graduated from Gyeongbuk High School, majored in physics at Seoul National University, and earned a Ph.D. in plasma physics from the University of Texas at Austin. After returning to Korea, he became a pioneer in nuclear fusion research. He oversaw the Korean artificial sun project, the development of the superconducting nuclear fusion research device (KSTAR), served as the director of the National Fusion Research Institute (currently Korea Institute of Fusion Energy), and held positions as vice chairman and deputy director of the ITER Council.
The artificial sun is a fusion research facility designed to produce thermal energy exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius through the fusion of deuterium and tritium to generate electricity. Based on KSTAR, completed in September 2007, and the international joint development project 'International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)' involving leading scientific countries, the government is promoting the commercialization of fusion energy with a target year of 2041.
In the April 2020 general election, he was assigned number 18 on the proportional representation list of the Together Citizens' Party and challenged entry into the National Assembly. In September of the same year, he was appointed chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea’s Special Committee on Science and Technology Innovation.
The Blue House stated, "We expect him to contribute to creating research and development investment directions and outcomes to scientifically solve challenges such as the Digital New Deal, carbon neutrality, and overcoming the COVID-19 crisis."
Below are the major career highlights of the new director general:
◇ Education ▶ Gyeongbuk High School ▶ Seoul National University, Department of Physics ▶ Ph.D. in Plasma Physics, University of Texas at Austin
◇ Career ▶ 1981 Researcher at University of Texas at Austin ▶ 1989 Researcher at MIT Plasma Fusion Center ▶ 1991 Head of Large-scale Joint Research Equipment Division, Korea Basic Science Institute ▶ 1996 Project Director for KSTAR Nuclear Fusion Research Device Development ▶ 1998 Head of Nuclear Fusion Research and Development Division, Korea Basic Science Institute ▶ 2007 Head of ITER Korea Project Team, National Fusion Research Institute (now Korea Institute of Fusion Energy) ▶ 2008 Chairman of the International Fusion Research Council ▶ 2008 Director of National Fusion Research Institute ▶ 2010 Chairman of ITER International Organization Management Advisory Committee ▶ 2014 Vice Chairman of ITER International Organization Council ▶ 2015 Deputy Director of ITER International Organization ▶ 2020 Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea Special Committee on Science and Technology Innovation
◇ Major Awards ▶ Fusion Power Associates Leadership Award (2009) ▶ Order of Science and Technology, Woongbi Medal (2013)
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