The Antarctic Cooperation Center of Korea has now been established at the International Antarctic Center in Christchurch, New Zealand.

An opening ceremony was held on November 3, and 50 people, including government officials and researchers from both Korea and New Zealand, attended the event. The Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) and Antarctica New Zealand signed a letter of intent for bilateral cooperation on supporting research and sharing infrastructure.




The Antarctic Cooperation Center of Korea aims to promote research in the Antarctic, supply resources to the Jang Bogo Antarctic Research Station in a stable manner and seek international cooperation on joint research projects. It will be used as the base of operations for the Jang Bogo Antarctic Research Station, run the icebreaker Araon and conduct joint international studies with other countries that also have bases in the Antarctic, such as the U.S., Italy and New Zealand.

Christchurch is located as close as possible in New Zealand to the Ross Sea and is an important entrance to Antarctica. It is also an important port of call for the Araon.

Over the past 10 years, KOPRI has developed technology to drill into glaciers in order to study past climate changes. It has conducted research into commercializing antifreeze substances extracted from microorganism found on the continent. KOPRI has conducted geological exploration in the Antarctic Sea and it has discovered a reserve of gas hydrates, a potential source of future energy. In 2013, KOPRI discovered a lunar meteorite on the continent, a first for a Korean institution.



"Recent research activities in the Antarctic are conducted multilaterally in the form of international programs. With the establishment of the Jang Bogo Antarctic Research Station earlier this year, cooperation with countries that have bases in Antarctica is becoming more important," said an official from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

"The Antarctic Cooperation Center will be a base from which to promote cooperation on research into the Antarctic, not only with other related research institutions but also between different nations."

By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos courtesy of the KOPRI
jun2@korea.kr