"KIGAM to Focus on Technical Support for Radioactive Waste Disposal Sites, CCUS, and Critical Minerals"
President Kwon Ikyun Outlines Four Key Management Goals and Urgent Tasks
Emphasizes Need for Strategic Roadmap in Securing Critical Minerals
Kwon Ikyun, President of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), stated, "Even if the tasks assigned to the institute by the nation are difficult, we must carry them out." He added, "We will focus on providing technical support for the selection of radioactive waste disposal sites, carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), securing critical minerals, and future energy."
On this day, at a Science Media Academy held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry conference room in Jung-gu, Seoul, President Kwon said, "In the past, as a scholar, I focused on what I wanted to do, but now we must conduct research that addresses the tasks needed by the nation and responds to social demands."
Kwon Ikyun, President of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, is explaining the key projects being promoted by the institute. Provided by the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources
Regarding technical support for the selection of radioactive waste disposal sites, he explained, "KIGAM’s mission is to provide technical advice to policy decision-makers through research on geological characteristics and other factors." He emphasized, "While scientific excellence is important, since this is a sensitive issue for local communities, it is also essential to carefully proceed with procedures for gathering opinions and obtaining consent from residents and local governments."
President Kwon expressed particular interest in the CCUS project. Having previously served as head of the Korea CCUS Promotion Team, he stressed, "We cannot abandon the carbon reduction option of CCUS, and efforts such as making carbon pricing more realistic must be pursued in parallel to lower practical barriers."
Kwon, who took office on May 19, outlined his main management goals, stating that he will organize KIGAM around four key areas: earth environment research including resource development and climate change, national land safety dealing with earthquake disasters, resource recycling, and others.
President Kwon also identified the establishment of infrastructure for the geophysical exploration research vessel ‘Tamhae 3’ as one of the most urgent tasks. He explained, "Nearly 200 billion KRW has been invested in Tamhae 3, which is more technologically advanced than the previous Tamhae 2. However, it could take as long as four to five years to stabilize the equipment and process the acquired data." He added, "We will promptly complete the necessary infrastructure, such as optimizing computing systems to process exploration data at the highest quality, in order to maximize the vessel’s performance."
He went on to announce that the institute will pursue new strategic projects, including building safety networks against complex disasters such as landslides and earthquakes, developing core equipment for rare earth processing, and establishing an artificial intelligence (AI) interactive groundwater map.
In terms of securing critical minerals, he introduced ongoing projects such as overseas lithium deposit development and deep-sea rare earth exploration. President Kwon remarked, "There is a tendency for target minerals such as lithium, uranium, and copper to change frequently depending on public opinion, which leads to a lack of a solid mid- to long-term roadmap." He emphasized, "A strategic approach based on a roadmap is necessary."
He also stated, "In the long term, we will operate a think tank to gather researchers’ ideas and seek out competitive items in order to create national R&D projects."
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