The Comprehensive Marine Research Organization in Korea 'Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute'

SEOUL, South Korea, July 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, worldwide economic insecurity is caused by the uncertainty of energy supply, the shortage of food, and the lack of industrial resources. Since Korea does not have enough resources with narrow land, it can be said that the future of Korea relies on the development of the ocean.

Accordingly, Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI) recently became an issue since it is making every effort on developing marine industry with using various and fruitful resources. KORDI, established in 1973, is the comprehensive marine institute, which has grown steadily.

This institute greatly contributed to making and activating marine industry through doing research on marine science technology. It also does research to prepare for the countermeasures to cope with preserving marine environment and foreseeing the weather change. It manages and utilizes various flourishes resources of the sea efficiently as well.

KORDI has made much effort to develop marine endowed resources. It recently acquired a deep seafloor mining area which was around 7500,000 hectares from the UN's International Sea-bed Authority (ISA) in 1994. In 2008, and 2011, it acquired exploration rights to develop seafloor hydrothermal deposit in exclusive economic zones of Tonga and Fiji in Southern West Pacific. Especially, last April, using unmanned submersible (ROV), it ascertained the seafloor hydrothermal deposit in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Fiji by screening and acquired new exclusive exploration rights of around 300,000 hectares. The new finding is expected to contribute to sustainable and stable energy supply.

Korea has natural environment, which has high potential of having marine energy. Therefore, this nation is planning to utilize tidal energy and power. Since the nation and government focus on the green development with low carbon emission, tidal power and wave power have been developed and started showing its practical outcome.

Moreover, marine satellite center established in 2008 have been operated. This center is playing a role of receiving the observation data from Marine Observation Satellite (GOCI) loaded in Communication, Ocean and Meteorological Satellite (COMS) successfully launched in June 2010 and transmitting information to let people use it easily and rapidly.

Besides, Jung-keuk Kang is reappointed as the 8th President of the institute according to the report from KORDI. President Kang had led KORDI as superior institution for 3 years at the evaluation of government-supported institutions while he had been the President for 3 years.

KORDI official says that they expect that KORDI will improve research competitiveness and contribute to realization of creative administration as the national comprehensive research institute with appropriate organizations for the role and the status of this institute.

SOURCE KORDI (Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute)