KAIST conducted a commencement ceremony to celebrate the graduating class of 2020 students on August 28. The graduation ceremony was held in a blended online and offline format to account for the social distancing guidelines in place for COVID-19, which had also caused the ceremony to be postponed in February. A total of 2,846 graduates were conferred with degrees, marking their success and achievement despite the challenging times everyone currently faces.

The graduation was broadcast on YouTube, with the 721 PhD, 1,399 MS, and 726 BS degree recipients of this year streaming the ceremony live. Meanwhile, 67 of the graduates took part in the offline ceremony as representatives for their peers. These students were chosen by the Office of Student Affairs and Policy through a raffle system, where a specific quota was allocated for each department. No guests or family of students were allowed to attend the ceremony. In line with the Level 2 social distancing guidelines that prohibit indoor gatherings of more than 50 people, the attendees, which numbered around 100 including professors and officiants, were separated into three groups that gathered in different locations around the KAIST campus. The main conferment ceremony took place in the Main Auditorium (E15), while students in Terman Hall (E11) and in the Academic Cultural Complex (E9) watched the ceremony via Zoom. 

In his commencement address, President Sung-Chul Shin addressed the difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic and thanked participants for their understanding during unusual circumstances. He remarked that “the first-ever blended commencement ceremony in the history of KAIST will be remembered for many years to come,” and continued on to encourage and motivate graduates to search for the silver lining in the face of this crisis. “The pandemic … can be transformed into a new opportunity for Korea,” he reflected, highlighting the recent global recognition of the nation’s successful response to COVID-19.

During the ceremony, the Award of the Minister of Science and Technology was conferred upon this year’s valedictorian, Kon-Yong Lee, from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. The salutatorian, Hee-Gwang Roh from the Department of Chemistry, received the Award of the KAIST Board of Trustees, while Jae Min Hong from the School of Computing was presented the KAIST Presidential Award. Dong Hyun Kim from the Department of Mechanical Engineering received the Award of the KAIST Alumni Association, and Dong Hyun Ma from the Department of Biological Sciences was given the KAIST Development Foundation Chairman’s Award. 

The student representative speech of the ceremony was given by Dr. Youn Jeong Kang of the Department of Mechanical Engineering via a recorded message. In her speech, she reminisced over the highs and lows of her time at KAIST since becoming an undergraduate freshman in 2000, and reminded her peers that they should not be afraid of failure in the process of growth. 

KAIST also granted an honorary doctorate degree to Dr. Younghoon David Kim, CEO and Chairman of Daesung Group, in recognition of his innovative contributions to the Korean energy industry. Daesung Group is a major natural gas supplier in Korea committed to becoming a leader in the global Grand Energy Transition towards sustainable energy sources and technologies. In his acceptance speech, Dr Kim stressed the importance of improvements in energy efficiency for the future world and encouraged graduates to become technological leaders.

One international student who attended the commencement ceremony in person commented to The KAIST Herald that they were grateful for the “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to experience the blended online ceremony. However, they were regretful that batchmates and family members could not attend, and hoped that soon “[COVID-19] will end and the traditional graduation ceremony can be resumed, as it’s a day to celebrate together.”