Kwon Onam of Seoul National University Elected as Next President of KOFST

Tasked with Restoring Stability After the Resignation of Former President Lee Taesik

Kwon Onam, a professor at Seoul National University, has been elected as the next president of the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST). President-elect Kwon now faces the task of normalizing KOFST, which has been under the interim leadership of acting president Kim Minsoo since former president Lee Taesik voluntarily resigned amid controversy.

On November 27, KOFST announced that it had held its 5th board meeting and elected Professor Kwon Onam of Seoul National University as the new president.

On November 12, KOFST’s presidential candidate recommendation committee finalized five candidates: Kwon Onam, professor of mathematics education at Seoul National University (president of the Korean Federation of Women’s Science and Technology Associations), Park Hogun, president of the Incheon Institute (former Minister of Science and Technology), Seo Pangil, president of the Korea Brain Research Institute, Shin Sungchul, distinguished visiting professor at KAIST (former KAIST president), and Lee Deokhwan, professor emeritus of chemistry at Sogang University (listed in Korean alphabetical order).

The candidates campaigned from November 13 until the day before the election on November 26, and president-elect Kwon won in a competitive race against prominent male candidates, including a former Minister of Science and Technology and a former KAIST president.

Kwon Onam has previously served as president of the Korean Society of Mathematical Education and is currently president of the Korean Federation of Women’s Science and Technology Associations, vice president of KOFST, and president of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education.

The immediate challenge for president-elect Kwon is to unify KOFST internally and within the broader scientific community. Former president Lee Taesik stepped down in July 2025 in the form of a voluntary resignation after a Ministry of Science and ICT audit pointed out issues such as the misuse of business promotion and travel expenses, as well as abusive behavior toward staff.

KOFST will elect its president at the regular general meeting scheduled for February 28, 2026. The 22nd president will lead KOFST for three years, from March 2026 to February 2029.

KOFST represents academic societies in the field of science, fostering and supporting science and technology organizations, promoting greater social participation and rights for science and technology professionals. The federation undertakes a variety of initiatives, including science and technology policy research and advisory work, support for academic activities, raising public awareness of science and technology, and international exchanges. It encompasses a wide range of science and technology professionals and organizations both domestically and internationally and receives budgetary support from the Ministry of Science and ICT.