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Professor Emeritus Dong Ki Kim, President of the National Academy of Sciences, Republic of Korea … I
2018.04.09 Views 2255 경영대학
“I Will Be Keep an Active Involvement with International Academies ”
Inauguration Interview - Professor Emeritus Dong Ki Kim
President of the National Academy of Sciences, Republic of Korea
Inauguration Interview - Professor Emeritus Dong Ki Kim
President of the National Academy of Sciences, Republic of Korea
The Business School is pleased to inform you that Professor Emeritus Dong Ki Kim has been elected as the president of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), a Korean institute that supports scholars who made remarkable academic contributions. Professor Dong Ki Kim is the first KUBS professor who is appointed as the president of NAS. Prior to his position as the vice president of NAS, he was the dean of Business School and also of Graduate School of International Studies at Korea University. Dean Soo Young Kwon visited Professor Emeritus Dong Ki Kim to have a word with him and congratulate his inauguration. Below is the interview with Professor Emeritus Dong Ki Kim.
Q. Could you tell us a brief history and main activities of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS)?
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Republic of Korea, was founded in 1954 to protect and support scholars with a remarkable achievement on the academic development. The NAS is established to encourage academic promotion by supporting academic research and academic exchanges with international academies. The NAS publishes the Journal of the NAS, which is distributed and taken into account in government policymaking. In addition, NAS holds the annual international symposium. Besides activities in academic circle, we also engage with the distribution of scholarly books of basic sciences for public access. Basically, we select excellent scholarly books every year and distribute them to public libraries and university libraries in Korea. NAS organizes lectures on air too if there is an issue worth sharing with the general audience.
Q. We were told that there are two compulsory criteria you have to meet in order to be elected as president: more than half of board members’ attendance, and a majority vote from the board. What do you think was the biggest factor that has contributed towards your appointment?
I attribute it to my publications. I have published research papers before and after becoming a member of the NAS. Moreover, I think I was able to receive extra credits from the board members based on my performance as the Academy’s vice president. Also, I make sure to participate in diverse projects including fund-raising, and conduct industrial cooperation projects with major corporations.
Q. Could you share your plans of which industry you will be focusing on during your term?
To begin with, my biggest goal is to improve involvements with international symposium across diverse academic circles including humanities, social sciences, and natural science. For that we first need to work on providing a better research environment, increasing annual research grant per person, for example. In every October NAS holds annual international symposium inviting renowned scholars across the world, and I will be focusing on facilitating broad academic exchanges. The Academy will also finance a portion of the cost of attending academic events overseas, even if it is a personal visit to the conference. Overall, more than anything else I will pay attention to improve research environment for our scholars.
Q. It is impressive how you have been making constant contributions to the University and the society. Could you share your wisdom with the readers, please?
I always keep in mind three things Lao Tzu said. First off, ‘goodness is like the nature of water (上善若水)’. We can reflect 4 features of the nature of water. Water drops from top to bottom; more than often it is best if let nature takes its course, going with the flow. Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it. You can quench the flames with water, but not the other way around; always be someone who others need, like water is.
The second word I keep in mind is ‘truly detailed looks actually seem loose, and a person who is truly wise can, in fact, look dumb (大巧若拙 大賢若愚).’ It is a great idea sometimes to ignore and get over with tiny details.
The last word from Lao Tzu is ‘the strong can never beat the wise, nor the smart can never beat the kind (力將不如知將 知將不如德將).’ No matter how you are strong or smart, the most important thing to keep in mind is to be kind. So I guess I try to stick to Lao Tzu’s wise words.
I always keep in mind three things Lao Tzu said. First off, ‘goodness is like the nature of water (上善若水)’. We can reflect 4 features of the nature of water. Water drops from top to bottom; more than often it is best if let nature takes its course, going with the flow. Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it. You can quench the flames with water, but not the other way around; always be someone who others need, like water is.
The second word I keep in mind is ‘truly detailed looks actually seem loose, and a person who is truly wise can, in fact, look dumb (大巧若拙 大賢若愚).’ It is a great idea sometimes to ignore and get over with tiny details.
The last word from Lao Tzu is ‘the strong can never beat the wise, nor the smart can never beat the kind (力將不如知將 知將不如德將).’ No matter how you are strong or smart, the most important thing to keep in mind is to be kind. So I guess I try to stick to Lao Tzu’s wise words.
Q. Could you give the last advice to KUBS students?
You know what they say, you cannot change where you graduate from - even though you actually can change your nationality. All of you are proud KUBS students. I want you to keep that in mind. I hope you will be able to bring that idea even if you graduate and go further abroad. Now it is not Korea University in South Korea, it is Korea University, in the world. That is, you should not limit yourselves to makgeoli and soju now - try out cognac, wine, vodka, if you like. I would also advise you to learn second languages, third and fourth even. It is always a great idea to learn languages, not limited to English.