PML's Korea opportunity
18th June 2010
The Korea Ocean Research
and Development Institute (KORDI), Korea’s main marine and
polar research institution, and the internationally renowned
Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) are to become collaborators in the
battle to ensure the global seas remain sustainable and healthy for
the future, while still being able to provide resources, such as
fish, minerals and energy for human consumption.
KORDI’s top officials visited Plymouth today to cement relations
between the two leading institutions. “The two institutes have much
in common,” said PML Chief Executive, Professor Stephen de Mora,
“and share many aims and attitudes, so they are perfect partners as
we explore and understand how the oceans can continue to benefit
society for generations to come. We are delighted to ratify this
partnership with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
and look forward to a very positive and fruitful collaboration,
towards promoting the sea as a key to future national
prosperity.”
Doctor Kang Jung-Keuk, President of KORDI added, “Many say that
the 21st century is an era of the sea, and I couldn't agree more.
It has become inevitable for us to pay more attention to the ocean
for survival in line with the rapid depletion of easily exploited
resources and intensifying competition across the globe to secure
food and energy on land. The ocean is our next frontier and our
future depends on it.'' It was its international reputation that
attracted Dr Kang and KORDI to work with PML: “I know that PML is
one of the eminent marine science institutes in the UK, and many
colleagues and experts recommended that we make some form of
collaboration with PML”, Dr. Kang continued.
Already a number of areas have been identified where the
two institutes can work together, pooling expertise, experience and
equipment to make the best of their combined science.
Management of coastal waters, the search for biofuels and other
products from algae, and research into marine renewable energy are
all important areas where joining up should pay huge dividends. PML
has world-class expertise in satellite observations of the oceans,
and modelling to help project future scenarios of climate change
and ocean acidification, for example, and will be working alongside
Korean colleagues to make this expertise available more widely.
The signing of the MoU comes after the Korean delegation flew
into the UK from Frankfurt, Germany, where Korea Institute of
Science and Technology (KIST) have their European office. The MoU
is a KORDI-PML-KIST agreement.