The inauguration ceremony of the new president Yongmin Kim took place at the POSTECH Auditorium at 11 A.M. on Sep. 5. Even though the new presidency had already begun as of Sep. 1, the ceremony marked the official start of his four-year term as the 6th president of POSTECH.

Mr. Joon-yang Chung, Chairman of the Board, and other distinguished guests in political and academic fields were invited to attend the occasion.

The ceremony consisted of the presentation of the mace to the new president, farewell speech by the former president, the inaugural address, congratulatory remarks from distinguished guests, and the singing of the alma mater, respectively.

In his farewell speech, the former President Sunggi Baik especially thanked Mr. Tae-Joon Park, and Mr. Joon-yang Chung for their wholehearted support for his policies. Despite some discouraging drawbacks, he urged the POSTECH community to continue to give their unreserved support for the new president.

The new president laid out his visions and plans for POSTECH in four key points: To produce elite global leaders, to perform pioneering research in science and technology, to translate the results to enrich the lives of the world, and to serve the nation and mankind. He also asserted that “we need to increase our partnership and collaboration with external constituents, e.g., industry, government … and all Korean people.” He reemphasized the importance that “Korea cannot join the club of the top 5 nations in the world without a truly great university.” He added that the goals might seem impossible to achieve, but they are very possible considering the amount of advancement thus far in the last 25 years.

Following the inauguration ceremony, special free luncheon for students and the inaugural banquet are to be followed on the same day, and the celebration concert to be held on Sep. 8.