German-Korean collaboration in Polar and Marine research will be intensified

Bremerhaven, the 21st May 2007.  Korean and German research institutes would like to increase their collaboration in the area of Polar and Marine research.  In order to achieve this, scientists from both countries are coming together for a meeting in Bremerhaven from 22nd-25th May.  The Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine research (a member of the Helmholtz Assocition) is the host.

During a small celebration, Prof. Dr. Jörn Thiede, Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute will sign a cooperation agreement with three Korean partner institutes. “Germany is a world leader in the area of Polar and Marine Research” said Dr. Seung-Il Nam from „Korea Institute for Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM)“. “Korea is unable to undertake any large research projects in the Arctic Ocean, due to its weak research infrastructure.  A cooperation, between Germany and Korea will strengthen Koreas competence in the area of Polar and Marine research”.In addition to KIGAM, the other two AWI partners are, Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI)“ and Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI).

During the workshops in Bremerhaven, where already, various meetings in Korea have been planned for the International polar Year 2007/2008, the German and Korean scientists will discuss other joint projects, as well as plans for the new icebreaker that the Korea is planning to build very soon. 
Professor Thiede said „We have a cooperation with KORDI in the area of marine aquaculture, that will be very promising.  Korea is a world leader in the area of marine aquaculture and this collaboration will be a great win for the AWI”.  The collaboration between the Alfred Wegener Institute and the three Korean Institutes is part of the initiative “Korea and Germany – Partners in Research and Development”, from the Federal Ministry for Education and Research in Germany.


Notes for editors:
Your contact person in the Press and Public relations office is Dr. Angelika Dummermuth (Tel. 0471/4831-1742; email: medien@awi.de).

The Alfred Wegener Institute conducts research in the Arctic, Antarctic and in oceans of both low and high latitudes.  It coordinates Polar research in Germany and provides important infrastructure such as the research icebreaker „Polarstern“ and research stations in the Arctic and Antarctic, available for use by international scientists.  The Alfred Wegener Institute is one of the fifteen research centres belonging to the Helmholtz-Association, the largest scientific organisation in Germany.