On Oct. 12, Danial Wolvén, the ambassador of Sweden, visited POSTECH and gave a special lecture to university members at the International Hall. Under the theme “Small, Smart countries – The role of Sweden and Korea in a rapidly changing world” he introduced Sweden’s latest research fields, emphasizing the need to build a foundation for revitalizing cooperation and exchange between Korea and Sweden in the future. 
  Starting with President Seong Keun Kim’s speech, there was time to discuss the future communicational bond between Sweden and Korea along with POSTECH. With a population of a 10.42 million and being the 23rd largest economy, Daniel Wolvén talked about Sweden’s major companies, such as IKEA, Bluetooth, and Minecraft. ARegarding a common theme related to technological innovation between South Korea and Sweden, Wolvén mentioned green steel production. As both countries have been active participants in the global transition to green steel production, we heard about Sweden’s HYBRIT project and South Korea’s POSCO. Sweden’s HYBRIT project is pioneering the use of hydrogen in steelmaking to reduce carbon emissions; meanwhile, POSCO is making significant strides in adopting sustainable and environmentally responsible practices within the steel industry. 
  Danial Wolvén also talked briefly about Swedish history. Sweden was a neutral country for nearly 200 years including during the Korean War. Then on Oct. 19, 1946, Sweden became a member of the United Nations (UN). Sweden officially joined a global organization dedicated to promoting peace, cooperation, and addressing international issues. By joining the UN, Sweden committed to working with other countries to solve problems and prevent conflicts around the world. This membership allowed Sweden to participate in important discussions and make a positive impact on global issues. The change led Sweden to support and actively help Ukraine in the war against Russia. Concluding this area of talk Danial Wolvén mentioned freedom has all the reasons to collaborate. 
  Wrapping up the speech, Danial Wolvén talked about the changes encompassing today’s world. For example, the universalization of AI, nuclear weapons and various other issues. He also gave some controversial food for thought regarding who should be the decision maker for the upcoming era. “Who should we give hands to; the government, citizens, or companies?” He also talked about the attitude we should take in the future and whether we should remain optimistic or not.  
  About 180 university members attended the lecture, and participants had a meaningful time thinking about how small and powerful countries such as Sweden and Korea could and will continue to achieve cooperation. Also, by giving an active welcome and showing such curiosity regarding each other it is certain the positive influence the two countries will have upon each other.