In 2004 Bo Jung Kim, father of Professor Dong Won Kim who is Dean of the College of Cultural Sciences, donated five billion won to KAIST. Named after the donor, the position of Kim Bo Jung Chair-Professor was recently offered to Professor Hakjoon Kim, who follows Professor In-ho Lee as the second chair-professor. Lecturing a 3-credit humanities course titled "Korean Political Thoughts from Goryeo to Yi Dynasty," Professor Kim is a well-known public figure who has taken various social positions. The KAIST Herald met with Professor Kim to hear more about his stories and plans as a newly appointed professor at KAIST.

Could you briefly introduce yourself?
Hello, my name is Hakjoon Kim. I earned my Ph.D. in political science from the University of Pittsburgh. I was the President of Incheon University from 1996 to 2000. Since then, I played active roles in various associations as the President of the Korean Political Science Association and the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations. Also, I was the President and Chairman of the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper from 2000 to 2010.

What prompted you to become a professor at KAIST?
I have been giving lectures to college students for a long time. I was a visiting professor at the University of Tokyo in 1984 and a consulting professor at Stanford University in 2008. Since I always had a deep interest in KAIST, I was very honored and glad to have been appointed as chair-professor by the College of Cultural Sciences at KAIST.
I teach one course each semester. In the spring semester, I opened a course called Contemporary Korean Political and Diplomatic History. This semester, my course is about Korean Political Thoughts from Goryeo to Yi Dynasty.

What is your field of interest?
I am mainly interested in how the development of science and technology can drastically change our society. As I have been studying political science, tremendous impact of science and technology on our society has been the object of my great interest. For example, the invention of the atomic bomb had significant influences on international relations, and the development of life sciences increased longevity in humans, which made our society move into a new era: the era of centenarians.
Moreover, I consider science and technology to be extremely important because historically, Korea was often behind in developing science and technology. Although there were great scientists and technicians, such as King Sejong, they were not respected much at the time. The development of science and technology was repressed, which caused overall depression in the East. As already analyzed by Max Weber, a great sociologist and political economist, the lack of knowledge in science and technology in the East caused many Eastern countries to become victimized by imperialism in the 19th century. In my opinion, ignoring the importance of science and technology in the past was one of the biggest mistakes of our country.

What do you think about the current development of science and technology in Korea?
Within less than half a century, Korea made spectacular progress in science and technology. I am glad that nowadays, many scientists and technicians are recognized and well respected by our society for their contributions in promoting science and technology in Korea. Advances in science and technology were the motor forces of our economic growth. Samsung and LG, which are now well-known international corporations, were able to succeed because they have incorporated science and technology in their major businesses. Also, it is very encouraging that science- and technology-centered colleges, notably KAIST and POSTECH, are becoming leading institutes in the world.
It cannot be stressed enough that the development of science and technology is crucial to the rise and prosperity of nations. Thus, policy makers should be able to manage sudden changes brought by science and technology. It is the responsibility of the government and politicians to handle well the social changes that are accelerated by the development of science and technology.

Do you have any advice for KAIST students?
I hope KAIST students can become distinguished and respected scholars in the near future. Plato, a Classical Greek philosopher, once said that three qualities are required in order to become a good scholar; good memory, doggedness and industry. I believe KAIST students already have good memories, so I would like to advise students to concentrate on their fields of interests and study doggedly with the goal of serving humanity in the future. One pill can free millions of people suffering from diseases, as one seed can save billions of people starving to death right at this moment. Also, many people dream about living on the moon. Only scientists can make these dreams come true. Thus, I hope KAIST students can study with great ambition and be well aware of the great responsibilities resting on them.