Sunchon National University President Ko Young-jin Receives 'Korean Society of Plant Pathology Merit Award'

[Suncheon=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] On the 22nd, Suncheon National University announced that President Ko Young-jin received the ‘Meritorious Service Award’ at the ‘2022 Korean Society of Plant Pathology Spring Conference’ held at Sono Belle, Byeonsan, Buan-gun, Jeonbuk.

Founded in 1962 to research and develop theories and technologies related to plant pathology and related fields, and to contribute to the exchange of academic information and dissemination of academic and technical knowledge among members, the ‘Korean Society of Plant Pathology’ is a large society with about 1,000 active members.

The ‘Korean Society of Plant Pathology Meritorious Service Award’ is the most prestigious award given to members who have made outstanding research achievements in the field of plant pathology, contributed significantly to the dissemination of plant pathology and promotion of the society, and devoted themselves to society activities, thereby remarkably contributing to the development of the society.

President Ko Young-jin has contributed to the development of the society by serving as industry-academia cooperation secretary, executive committee chairman, fungicide research chairman, vice president, chairman of the 50th anniversary commemorative project preparation committee, and president, while being an active member of the ‘Korean Society of Plant Pathology’ for over 40 years since 1981.

Since 1987, Professor Ko Young-jin has been working at Suncheon National University’s Department of Plant Medicine, nurturing future experts in plant pathology. He has published over 200 papers on the diagnosis and control of plant diseases, including ‘Kiwi Canker Disease,’ and received the ‘Korean Society of Plant Pathology Academic Award’ in 2014 for his outstanding research achievements.

Additionally, President Ko has contributed to the dissemination and expansion of plant pathology by publishing major textbooks such as ‘Plant Pathology,’ ‘Plant Medicine,’ ‘Landscape Tree Pathology,’ and ‘Plant Pathology Explained Through Dialogue,’ as well as books like ‘The War Against Kiwi Canker Disease’ and ‘Plant Disease Epidemics and Pandemics Threatening Humanity Since Prehistoric Times.’

President Ko Young-jin expressed his gratitude, saying, “I am very honored and pleased to receive the ‘Meritorious Service Award’ from the society where I have been active researching plant diseases for over 40 years. I thank my advisor who introduced me to the field of plant pathology and my students who participated in the research.”