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New technology invented by professor Jihoon Ryoo A new technology invented by professor Jihoon Ryoo of the CS department has been registered at the Korean Intellectual Property Office. Nowadays due to the generalization of ride-sharing applications, Uber-like ride-sharing has increased. However, in crowded areas like the airport, it is difficult to recognize which ride is mine. In order to solve such problems, the new invention seeks to provide methods for selecting specific objects among different objects.
2021.10.06 Hits 768
Professor Gerald M. Stokes' contribution to Maeil Business Newspaper Anonymity Written by Gerald Stokes There are even more complicated times ahead. In this ever-expanding age of the internet in which it has become a necessity of life, there is a growing concern about the extent to which individuals’ privacy may be violated. There are certainly many ways privacy can be compromised. As I looked at the range of issues concerning privacy and privacy protection, it led me down a path to the consideration of anonymity in cyberspace. This is becoming another important issue in our highly connected world. When we think of privacy, probably the most intense invasion of privacy is identity theft. This is a burglary of the most personal kind. People that have experienced feel violated and it takes considerable time and effort to recover. It happens in many ways and in varying degrees. It can range from taking over your identity and stealing your money, to assuming your work identity to steal from your employer. While the users of the internet may bear some responsibility for the theft of their personal data, leaks of personal information held by a third party are increasingly common. This may lead to individual identity theft or any number of other questionable activities. In most of the world, identity theft and the stealing of personal data are crimes – as they should be. On the other hand, data mining by internet service providers is considered a legitimate business purpose. Providers, like Google, track our use of their browsers, email, news services, and other apps they may provide. They track not only our usage, but the content of that usage. They examine it and sell the results of their examination to advertisers or use it themselves. While these providers may end up knowing more about us than anyone who has stolen our identity, it is considered a fair trade for the free usage of their services. This data collection is largely information about us. Who we are specifically is less important than our attributes, our gender, our age, what our interests are, how much money we make, where we live and other demographic data. These attributes are connected to an “address” – a place to find us on the internet with ads, offers, or political promotions. Individuals have evolved strategies to deal with this targeting. One is to use the time-honored tradition of choosing your “username”. Some of us prefer to make these usernames similar to our real name, while others choose more exotic aliases or “handles”. Some people will use different identities for different purposes – social media, email, online shopping – thereby compartmentalizing their identity. Many people go beyond this approach and create elaborate sets of identities for their various social media accounts. These are rapidly evolving to graphical representations or avatars. These are what I would call a weak protection of “who I am”. A more complete protection of protecting “who I am” is to become anonymous. This comes in several layers. In literary circles authors sometimes have a “nom de plume”. The American author Samuel Clemens wrote as “Mark Twain”. Authors true identities may or may not be known. For example, here in Korea, who is, or who are, Djuna? Increasingly, we see individuals, particularly in social media commentary simply becoming their alias, remaining anonymous. Anonymity is an extreme form of privacy. A person’s true identity remains private while their alias becomes a social commentor, a political gadfly, or a cultural critic. Most democracies protect people’s ability to speak – commonly called freedom of speech. Generally, freedom of speech is a protection against the actions of the government targeting what we say. However, as we well know, freedom of speech does not protect individuals from “prosecution by the public” on social media. Protection of ones’ private self from this onslaught by using an alias, and remaining anonymous, seems certainly prudent in some cases. On the other hand, the same kind of anonymity can equally protect a bully or a purveyor of false news. Hiding behind their internet identity, individuals feel emboldened to act, believing that they will not be held accountable. This is complicated when one realizes that not all “identities” on the internet are human. The development of bots, artificial users of the internet is becoming commonplace. These can be very simple programs or more sophisticated AI based systems. They are used to amplify and spread messages. These bots never rest and have been used to influence political campaigns and spread false information about individuals, technologies like vaccines or other matters of public interest. Facebook and other service providers are trying to understand their responsibility for these uses of their platforms. Increasingly around the world governments wonder what, if any regulation might be required. Other governments, or parts of governments, wonder how the same tools might be used to advance their national agenda – either by controlling content within their borders or launching cyber based campaigns in, even against other countries. As a student of the relationship between technology and society, I have frequently shared ideas in this column that might address the issues I raise. I have suggested another “law” of robotics that requires more responsible human actions and the use of blockchain to ensure data fidelity in the face of fake news. I have no answer for the privacy and anonymity conundrum. A perfectly reasonable desire to protect “who I am” uses anonymity, but that same anonymity can be used as a cover for individuals who approach the world with malicious intent. Some aspects of privacy concerns are being addressed. Two factor authentication is helping protect against some forms of identity theft. Similarly, there cases where individuals involved in election tampering have been charged with a crime. However, actions are few and the problem is growing. More complicated times are indeed ahead … Click here to read the original article
2021.09.27 Hits 808
Prof. Jinsang Lee delivered a speech at 2021 GGGF conference “The future of a global economy depends on technological innovation and the people who lead it.” SUNY Korea Professor Lee Jin Sang voiced his opinion that the development of technological innovation should be accelerated in this era of great transformation around the world. He was speaking at the '13th Good Growth Global Forum (2021 GGGF)', held at the international conference hall of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Junggu on September 9th. He emphasized that “The future direction of the global economy will depend on this field. In order to lead technological innovation in the relevant field, it is necessary to invest in R&D and secure human resources.”
2021.09.14 Hits 724
A Quick Guide to GPS by Professor Ryoo Computer Science Department Professor Jihoon Ryoo gave a lecture on “GPS” for the VR Metaverse Contest, sponsored by the Ministry of Science and ICT and Korea Radio Promotion Association (RAPA). Provided in Korean, the lecture provides a general explanation of what GPS is and how it works, and also compares the Korean GPS system with those of other countries.*Check out the lecture in the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJTzT5tjGNI
2021.09.14 Hits 777
SUNY Korea Leading Professor Wonkyong Moon publishes a new book A new book titled “Viviparous Risk Society (태생적 위험사회)” has been published by SUNY Korea Leading Professor Wonkyong Moon. In the book, Professor Moon defines what a “Risk Society” is, and goes further by classifying and explaining the kinds and structures of risk societies. Moreover, the Coronavirus Era is viewed and analyzed in the book, with predictions for the effectiveness of the vaccine. In a press interview, Professor Moon stated, “Since the Risk Society termed by Ulrich Bech 35 years ago was limited to a conceptual world, I focused on analyzing the problems of the real society.” *Related Article: Click here
2021.07.27 Hits 805
FIT Professor Linda Kim’s Work Displayed on Exhibition “Flower Warrior of Camillia Island”, FIT Professor Linda Kim’s fashion work, will be displayed in the 2021 International Fashion Art Exhibition in Jeju, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture. A total number of 81 fashion designers from 8 countries, and 8 potters, are participating in this exhibition, which takes place on the 1st floor of the Obaekjanggun Gallery of Jeju Stone Park. (2021.07.15 – 2021.08.15) The theme of the exhibition covers “Local- Rising Jeju,” which deals with the sub- themes: earth, myth, and heritage. *Online Exhibition: YouTube: Click here Instagram: Click here
2021.07.22 Hits 837
Dr. Chihmao Hsieh’s contribution to the Maeil Business Newspaper Can a Focus on Empathy and Trust Guide Our Taste in Choosing the Right Problems to Solve? Written by Chihmao Hsieh In his inauguration speech earlier this year, Lee Kwang-hyung, the new president of KAIST, remarked “KAIST는 앞으로 인류가 당면한 문제를 찾아 정의하고 해결하는 것에 중점을 둬야 한다”. This is a fundamental issue in entrepreneurship: the opportunities that we find depend on how we search for solutions to a problem, but also how we formulate problems in the first place. For example, we all know that it’s not easy to park a car in Seoul. If we formulate the problem as a lack of parking spaces, then maybe we should build more parking garages. However, if the problem is that there are too many idle cars, then we should better optimize public transportation, ride sharing, or the taxi system. Or maybe we decide that cars are currently too big, and smaller cars will be easier to navigate in tight spaces. These three different problem formulations all lead to very different technological directions. Indeed, our taste in the problems that we identify today affects the decisions and socio-technological environment that we have tomorrow. These days, society is addressing various problems with the aid of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence and robotics. Recent innovations certainly save money. Coffee barista robots don’t get tired. Digital news anchors don’t need health insurance. And self-driving trucks don’t ask for pensions. While jobs are at risk of being lost, new jobs will be created. In the near term, for example, we still need people to maintain the robots that make the coffee or fix the trucks that deliver our packages. Technological advances are fundamentally entangled with the changing human tasks and jobs on this planet. Set aside the idea of universal basic income, for now. We face three issues: which problems to solve, what technologies to develop, and how to identify and design the tasks and jobs eventually performed by humans. There is no magic equation that explains how this all actually unfolds. Often, even, new scientific technologies emerge so quickly that they arrive before we know what problems they should solve. With increasingly advanced AI, where applications are so broad and dramatic, we should stop to think: How do we formulate and choose which problems to solve? One diagnosis would require us to work backwards: ask ourselves how we want future society and work culture to reflect core values of humanity, and then use that vision to help constrain and guide the kinds of technologies we develop and the kinds of problems that we address. Recent research on service industries suggests that AI will tend to first replace mechanically-oriented jobs, then analysis-oriented jobs, then intuition-oriented jobs, and finally empathy-oriented jobs, in that order. Opinions differ regarding the overall timeline. However, building and refining a stronger culture for empathy now will help preserve a basis of humanity at work and in society, protecting ourselves from the most damaging economics of AI. Human empathy is not particularly scalable, but maybe we also should not be trying to make it scalable. should not be scalable. Marketing staff, news reporters, nurses, teachers and countless other occupations today can make valuable use of human empathy, and we should support that kind of sociocultural direction. On a broad scale, more products and services can be created to enable people to exhibit, share, and promote empathy, at work and at home. In the future, hopefully still more different kinds of empathy-oriented jobs can emerge. Besides empathy, we should also consider the importance of preserving the importance of trust in interactions between humans. This issue hasn’t been addressed much; instead, most scholars and policymakers today are worried about how we humans could best learn to trust AI. But there’s an important conceptual distinction between how humans trust AI and how they trust other humans. On one hand, trust between humans requires an element of vulnerability to others’ self-interest: if a father promises his child that he will drive her to an evening hagwon exam, she trusts him that he won’t get drunk while partying with co-workers, then arriving late to pick her up. On the other hand, machines and robots have no self-interest; we merely trust them to function reliably and make fewer errors than us. As our interactions become increasingly mediated by computerized technology and AI, we position ourselves to learn to “trust” and “forgive” computers and robots more than we maintain our ability and capacity to trust and forgive each other. As a civilized society, shouldn’t we be developing technology and policy that ultimately helps humans trust and empathize with each other more, not less? Recent developments offer potential case studies. Aria, for example, represents AI by SK Telecom that has been shown to empathetically stimulate senior citizens’ cognition and delay onset of dementia, while also doubling their daily travel distances. But does the AI-based replication of the late Kim Kwang-Seok’s voice and singing help to foster empathy or fulfill egos? Are recently developed AI-based ‘digital girlfriends’ more likely to support or cheapen cultural norms of human trust and empathy? While it’s true that business ventures should often be excused for generating ‘negative externalities’ (부정적인 외부효과), we should be actively avoiding those negative externalities that fundamentally discount any core value of humanity. Formulating the right problems, developing supportive technological solutions, and fostering meaningful jobs should be simultaneous considerations that will require business and government to have good taste. But good taste in the value of human empathy and trust is not straightforward. For example, empathy should not completely stifle competitive spirit, and sometimes trust between business partners should not cut off valuable exploration of the business environment. As countries—including South Korea—race to become world leaders in commercializing AI-based technology, they should all respect the responsibility of choosing what entrepreneurial directions we take. Overall, having good taste in humanity is simply becoming more valuable than ever. Hopefully AI won’t become an expert in that too. Click here to read the article
2021.06.17 Hits 731
more Professor Hamid Hefazi's contribution to publishing a book It is an undeniable fact that the role of mechanical engineering is continuously growing in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution through new technologies such as AI. To meet the needs of such a time, Hamid Hefazi, professor and chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department, contributed in publishing the second edition of the Springer Handbook of Mechanical Engineering as a chapter author and also an editor. This book “provide[s] a valuable guide for all who design, develop, manufacture, operate, and use mechanical artifacts,” and “senior students can use it as a resource for their senior design or other projects”. Students can borrow the copy of this book at the MEC Department! Below is Professor Hefazi’s written interview: [Interview Questions] 1 1) Please introduce yourself. I am a professor and the Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the State University of New York (SUNY) – Korea. I received my PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California (USC) in 1985. After working for the McDonnel Douglas Corporation in Long Beach, California for a while, I joined the California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) as a professor and department head, and worked there until 2013. Prior to joining SUNY Korea I was the Head of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) department at California State University for 12 years and Florida Institute of Technology for 6 years. For more than 35 years, I have been teaching and conducting research on many mechanical and aerospace engineering topics for agencies such as NASA, the Boeing Company, Northrop Grumman Space Technology and the US Office of Naval Research among others. I served as the director of the “Boeing Technology Centre” at CSULB for 12 years. I also have an interest in sailing and ship design and served as consultant for Prada 2000 and 2003 America's Cup Challenges in the areas of keel hull and sail performance for race boats. I also have worked extensively as a consultant for wind-energy companies on wind turbine design and have two US patents for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines. 2 2) Could you explain what Mechanical Engineering is to non-ME majors? Mechanical Engineering (ME) is the most popular engineering major in many industrially advanced countries such as Korea. It is a foundational engineering discipline, which integrates core engineering sciences with other fields such as computer aided design (CAD), electronics and computer sciences, computer aided manufacturing (CAM), 3D printing, and experimentation, into a dynamic interdisciplinary field. Among various engineering disciplines, ME represents a good balance between theory and practical skills such as design, creativity experimentation, manufacturing skills, etc. Looking ahead, the role of mechanical engineering is expected to substantially grow in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4RI), through new technologies such as robotics and automation, autonomous systems, sustainable energy, advanced transportation systems, smart materials, bio medical and space technologies, as well as demand for the manufacturing of new generation electronics and AI platforms, to name a few. All of these open new horizons for exciting careers in mechanical engineering. 3) Could you briefly explain what this book is about? This book is published by Springer Nature Switzerland AG, which is a publishing company headquartered in Cham, Switzerland. It is an essential resource for scientists and practicing engineers, as well as students during all phases of their studies. The ﬁrst edition of the Springer Handbook of Mechanical Engineering was published in 2008 and was very well received by the mechanical engineering community worldwide. As early as 2015, the publication of an updated second edition of the handbook was discussed with Springer, based on suggestions from authors and readers to include new developments in mechanical engineering. The publication took some time to complete but we are now very happy to present the second edition. We have been privileged to work with approximately 100 authors from all around the world to gather selected and useful information about the discipline. A unique aspect of this handbook is that it contains a lot of practical information and data that are the result of the many years of experiences of the authors. A lot of this information is not available in any other sources. 4 4) What is your contribution to publishing this book? I have two contributions to this book. First, I, along with Prof. Karl Heinrich Grote from the Otto-von-Guericke University in Magdeburg, Germany are editors of the book. While the chapter authors are primarily responsible for the contents of each chapter, the role of the editors is to establish goals, set the standards and coordinate the content. We also make sure the information presented is useful, accurate and in line with the overall objective of the book. My second contribution to this book was as a chapter author. I wrote Chapter 24 of the book on Aerospace Engineering. Aerospace Engineering is a close subset of the mechanical engineering discipline. The information in this chapter is based on my years of experience and includes a lot of information that is not available in any other sources. 5 5) Do you recommend this book to SUNY Korea students and why? Yes. This handbook is a valuable guide for all who design, develop, manufacture, operate, and use mechanical artefacts. Senior students can use it as a resource for their senior design or other projects. The mathematics, mechanics and material sections are excellent resources for senior level and graduate students. The handbook can also provide valuable insight into various areas of mechanical engineering to students of other majors, such as technology management students. They can gain an overview of technical areas without necessarily needing to understand the technical details that are presented. 6 6) Please add whatever you wish to say about the book or Mechanical Engineering in general. Working with a large group of recognized experts in different fields of ME was a very rewarding experience. The wide range of expertise of the contributing authors solidified my appreciation of the discipline and it’s many contributions to improve life and address societal challenges in the past and for the future. Like many other disciplines, the field of ME has been highly impacted by advancements in computing as well as new electronics, remote sensing, advanced diagnostics and AI technologies. These advancements allow ME to address new and complex areas of societal needs at realistic scales, which were not previously possible. I strongly urge students with interest and passion for creativity, problem solving and leadership skills to consider ME as a career option.
2021.06.03 Hits 761
SUNY Korea Admission Briefing Session “It Was Almost Like a Press Conference” … SUNY Korea Admission Briefing Session Attracted Many Prospective Students and Their Parents Despite the COVID19 Situation The SUNY Korea Admission Briefing Session for the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semester entry was held at Shilla Stay Samsung in Seoul on the 24th. Students and parents who attended the briefing session showed high interest in—and continued to ask questions even after the event—on the merits of each major and career path after graduation, rather than inquiring about the university itself. The briefing session was held in English and Korean respectively in the morning and afternoon, with around 10 participants in the morning and 70 participants in the afternoon. Although the number of participants per session was limited to 50 people due to the COVID19 pandemic, the afternoon session was so eagerly anticipated that more than 20 people attended additionally without prior registration. The briefing session was conducted in accordance with the government’s COVID19 prevention rules. As for the reasons for developing their interest in SUNY Korea, students and parents mentioned the advantage of receiving a foreign university degree without studying abroad and the opportunity of rapid improvement in English language proficiency. "While planning for the admission of universities in the US, I got to learn about SUNY Korea and prepared for its admission at the same time. I was attracted to the fact that I can improve my English skills with 100% English lectures as the university provides the same curriculum as in the US while staying in Korea. I think it is also a benefit that I get to meet foreign friends and learn different languages from various countries," said Kim Min-Ji, a senior student at a local high school. Jeong Hyo-Jung, a parent who came with Kim Min-Ji, said, "My daughter wanted to study in a foreign country, so we sent her abroad last year. However, she had to come back earlier because of the COVID19 pandemic, and the situation has not gotten any better for her to leave the country again. Thus, we considered an option of applying for SUNY Korea." Among the participants, there were several transfer students as well. Yang Hyun-Sik, a graduate of a 2-year college, said, "I realized that having a degree from a four-year university is necessary to have a competency in a job market, and transferring to a domestic university was already a red ocean for me," adding, "My brother is currently studying in the State University of New York, and I was always jealous about his English ability. I am interested in SUNY Korea because I wish to improve my English skills along with having an opportunity to study at the Stony Brook New York campus for a year. Kim Kyu-Seok, the team leader of the admissions team at SUNY Korea, said, "The change in students’ perception about university admission due to the evolving atmospheres in education, such as a decrease in the number of school-age populations, and the emergence of various higher education alternatives, was evident throughout the session. As students’ awareness about SUNY Korea has been enhanced, I received many constructive questions about its programs rather than simple questions about the university itself. It was as if I was at a press conference. The briefing session was substantial because students brought questions which reflect their individual circumstances." At the briefing session, not only were the university and its seven different majors introduced, but also an analysis of admission trends and admitted student portfolios was conducted. In particular, the session provided detailed explanations of the admission process that is not included in the number of times that one can apply to domestic universities during early and regular admission. Also, an analysis of admitted students’ high school GPA and tips for acceptance was given. Shin Hye-Mi, the assistant manager of the admissions team, noted that, "Even if students are not confident with their high school GPA, they can submit other supplementary documents such as SAT scores, essays, awards, and certifications. The genuine interest in the major and thorough preparation for admission are the basis of successful applications. The admission process is based on 100% document screening, but some students can be invited to an interview and this can be an opportunity for them to make a good impression.” Meanwhile, Stony Brook University (SBU) of SUNY Korea is recruiting 260 students this year. The Fall 2021 admission deadline for early applications is April 30th, and for regular applications is July 16th. The required application documents include an English high school transcript, English cover letter, English or Korean recommendation letter, and official English proficiency test scores (TOEFL iBT 80 or higher/ IELTS Academic 6.5 or higher/ New SAT ERW 480 or higher/ ACT English 19 or higher/ Duolingo English Test 105 or higher). SUNY Korea FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) is recruiting 105 students this year. The deadline for regular applications is April 30th. The required application documents include an English high school transcript, English cover letter, and official English proficiency test scores (TOEFL iBT 80 or higher/ IELTS Academic 6.5 or higher/ PTE 53 or higher/ Duolingo English Test 105 or higher). Note that the English proficiency test score requirement for FIT is different from that of SBU. For more information, students can visit SUNY Korea's official website. Additionally, the second admission briefing session will be held on June 5th. Click here to read the original article
2021.04.27 Hits 696
World Bank Group and SUNY Korea to Hold an Online Training Program World Bank Group and SUNY Korea will host a five-week training program for entrepreneurs from 12 countries to leverage ICT solutions to drive innovation and entrepreneurship. This program (ETHOS: Entrepreneurial Talents’ House of Opportunities and Supports) begins on April 19th to foster and empower talented entrepreneurs through digital skill support and entrepreneurship training. This is the fourth edition of the program since its first inception in 2015, funded by the Korea World Bank Partnership Facility (KWPF). To help the ICT start-ups strengthen their businesses in the COVID-19 era, the ETHOS program this year will be operated virtually to selected participants from 12 countries: Algeria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Georgia, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Rwanda, Tunisia, Viet Nam, and West Bank and Gaza. The program entails a knowledge series, mentoring, tech partnership, networking, and pitching sessions to boost entrepreneurial aspects of participants. Selected participants will take customized business mentoring sessions, have opportunities to partner with Korean deep-tech startups to establish joint-ventures, and get investment opportunities. Selected participants will develop their business models more competitively and revise their pitch decks more attractively during 8-hour intensive mentoring sessions addressed by skillful mentors from CNT Tech, Born2Global Centre, D3, and NH Investment & Securities. Born2Global Centre is actively supporting the program by matching them with tech partners in Korea and providing joint-venture establishment opportunities. With tech partnership sessions, the program will be a channel for Korean deep-tech start-ups to expand their business to the globe and for the selected participants to integrate Korean advanced technologies into their business models. Wonki Min, the President of SUNY Korea, emphasized the true meaning of entrepreneurship in the type of society which the ETHOS program actively pursues. “As SUNY Korea’s mission is nurturing creative leaders standing up to global challenges, we are more than delighted to host the ETHOS program. Starting up a business is not only the key to economic development but also essential to the social and cultural advancement of human society. Therefore, ETHOS is committed to providing entrepreneurs with opportunities to build essential capacities to become successful.” Samia Melhem and Je Myung Ryu, Task Team Leaders from World Bank Group, made clear the role of ICTs in the COVID-19 pandemic situation. “Today, we are living in an extraordinary and unprecedented time, heading into a fast-changing future. The COVID-19 pandemic has suddenly accelerated digital transformation to the forefront across almost all sectors and brought new demands for disruptive technology solutions to better respond to the urgent medical, social, and economic needs. We have seen abrupt changes in consumer behavior in this digital economy as well. For both startups and businesses, the ability to leverage digital skills and online platforms has become a critical element to meet the consumer needs in a pandemic.” Hoon Sahib Soh, Special Representative of World Bank Group Korea Office, expressed high expectations toward the ETHOS program. “The WBG Korea Office is actively supporting SUNY Korea on the ETHOS II program. The Korea Office is a global innovation and technology center for sustainable development. I believe supporting programs such as ETHOS will be an integral part of our innovation and technology program”. The successful execution of the ETHOS program will enhance the reputation of Korea as a leader of ICT entrepreneurship, as well as demonstrate Korean economic development based on ICT businesses. Click here to read the related article
2021.04.23 Hits 766
FIT Professor Bon Kuk Koo's interview with "Weekly Today" FIT Professor Bon Kuk Koo had an interview with 'Weekly Today' about core competency of fashion designer. In this interview, Prof. Koo talked about SUNY Korea - FIT, teaching methods and core competency to be a fashion designer. Click here to read the original article
2021.04.21 Hits 825
Professor Gerald M. Stokes' contribution to Maeil Business Newspaper Net- Zero Written by Professor Gerald M. Stokes Recently, Korea pledged to make its economy “net-zero.” This means it will effectively eliminate all carbon emissions by 2050. This goal is admirable and in keeping with the five-year-old Paris Climate Accord process. In Korea, this is part of an emerging strategy to use the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic as a vehicle for enhancing the green agenda in general and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in particular. The commitment is important and necessary. Every nation will have to make a similar commitment in order to stabilize the Earth’s climate. Korea’s leadership in this process is consistent with its emerging leadership role in many areas like culture, electronics, and disaster response and in this case the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This leadership within the UNFCCC became significant during the tenure of Ban Ki Moon as Secretary General of the UN and continues with Hoesung Lee, the current head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This will not be easy, and I think it is important to think about what a profound change this will bring to Korea. Net-zero has two parts. The first part is to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. The emissions from Korea are greater than 12 metric tons of carbon dioxide per person per year. These emissions come from many industrial sources: generation of electricity, manufacturing, steel production, and shipping. Individual Koreans generate emissions by driving, cooking, and heating residences. Carbon dioxide emissions come from practically every aspect of society. Because “decarbonizing” some of the uses will be difficult, for example, steel production, the second part of a net-zero strategy is supporting processes that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. These processes are needed to offset difficult to eliminate emissions. For example, the forests of Korea absorb a little less than one ton per capita of carbon dioxide per year. There are also technologies that capture carbon dioxide for either utilization or disposal. These latter technologies are not currently in widespread use in Korea or anywhere else in the world. They are certainly worthy of governmental R&D. A great deal of energy generation technology is available to facilitate this transition., Renewable energy systems like wind, solar, and wave energy, as well as nuclear power can all make significant contributions. Recent advances in fusion power are also important, but this technology is not likely to create an impact before 2050. I am sure that Korea will rise to the technological challenge, but there is more. First and foremost, net-zero essentially means no fossil fuel use in Korea – not for electricity, not for driving, not for manufacturing, not for cooking. The 12-ton per capita carbon emissions highlight how much the Korean economy depends on fossil fuels. In many ways decarbonization should also be viewed as a reindustrialization of the country. This transformation will not be easy. It entails not only capital investment but many businesses, large and small, will either no longer exist or will have to dramatically change their business strategy. Lessons from around the world suggest that the magnitude of these changes will create political resistance. The challenge will become how to sustain the commitment with the government changing every 5 years. Next, it is important to plan to decarbonize the entire economy. Generally, we think carbon emissions are tied to production and fuel use within the country. However, there is a concept called consumption emissions, which is a measure of the emissions associated with consumption within a country. For example, if a country imports steel for construction, the country is consuming a commodity that generated emissions while being produced in another economy. Korea’s imported consumptive emission has dropped from 30% of domestic emission in 1990 to less than 5% in 2017, an impressive change. The US on the other hand, had no net addition of emissions from consumption in 1990, but its transformation to a service economy has resulted in it importing goods that now embody almost 8% of its production emissions. In essence, the US, in offshoring its heavy industry, has also exported its emissions. In Europe the same is true where countries like France, Great Britain, and Italy import goods that generate between 20 and 30 percent of their domestic emissions. The temptation for Korea to move emissions offshore will be very high. The net-zero commitment must include the whole economy, including emissions embodied in imports. Similarly, countries not only offshore emissions but they offshore poorly performing technology to the developing world. One prominent example of this is automobiles. Many developed countries, including Korea, are putting in place policies to improve mileage or accelerate the transformation to electric vehicles. The resulting used car supply is frequently exported to developing countries, where the vehicles’ poor performance creates environmental issues. These issues have led to some countries actually banning the import of used vehicles. Losing, or not participating in these markets would affect the value of used cars, a non-trivial consideration in consumer decisions to upgrade their vehicles. But the emissions exported in these vehicles are not a real reduction in global emissions. Similarly, developed countries not only export emissions in used technology, but also sell technologies abroad that would not be allowed within their own borders. Sometimes foreign assistance dollars are spent supporting the construction of coal-fired power plants in developing countries, that could not be built in the donor country. In conclusion, net-zero is an important and necessary aspiration. However, as Korea takes on this task, it must do several things. First, it needs a policy and aspiration that covers the whole economy, including addressing the carbon emissions of its imports and exports. Next, it must ensure that the policy has continuity and long-term support. Finally, it needs to be ready for the profound transformation net-zero represents. Korea shares the atmosphere and climate with almost 200 other countries. Its leadership will help others understand the importance of assuming global responsibilities and stewardship. Click here to read the original article
2021.04.19 Hits 697