KAIST, in carrying out an extensive reshuffle to simplify organization and increase efficiency of administration, implemented the ombudsperson policy for the first time in Korea to mediate KAIST members’ opinions on any problems or difficulty. On September 9, in the appointment ceremony held at the president’s office, two professors, Sang-Yung Shin from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Hong Ku Shim from the Department of Chemistry, were appointed as the ombudspersons of KAIST.

Started for the first time in the Swedish Parliament in 1809, ombudsperson is a policy in which a government official is appointed to investigate and address any civil complaints on administration or violation of rights. Nowadays, it is actively used in public institutions, industries, and universities to promote harmony among its members, improve morale, and increase efficiency of work. Many universities including Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology adopted the ombudsperson policy in order to prevent research misconducts and settle grievances.

Although KAIST already has a policy for addressing complaints and improvements, this is the first time that a department of experts were assigned exclusively for grievance settlement.

The appointed ombudspersons will receive complaints on unfair policies or violation of research ethics, and investigate them in order to mediate and correct the issues. Their role also includes figuring out the public sentiment, reflecting its views on policies and reporting them to the president. However, to make it confidential, there will be no documentation of the reports.