Active KAIST 60303, a campaign designed to promote a healthy and active lifestyle in KAIST, has been launched at the Lyu Keun-Chul Sports Complex (N3) under the leadership of Professor Seokhee Kim of KAIST Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and an exercise specialist. The number 60303 stands for a strenuous training regime consisting of 60 minutes of physical activity and 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day for 3 months.  A total of 100 applicants, selected under a first-come-first-served basis, are currently enrolled in the program. Due to extreme popularity among students, the application was closed in merely two days.

For the first week of the 12-week campaign, students were advised to participate in a high intensity interval training (HIIT) regime. Further training programs are expected to be posted on the Sports Complex website as the campaign progresses. Active KAIST provides flexibility in its program to accommodate the hectic schedules of its participants, dividing into several time slots in order to maximize participation. Students are also required to submit weekly exercise diaries to the Sports Complex website. The staff members then assess students by their body composition test, step test, and exercise diary. Free Sports Complex tickets are to be given away to students who have performed beyond expectations.

 “As members of a research-oriented institute, KAIST students tend to place a lower priority in maintaining a healthy lifestyle,” Professor Kim noted. “Active KAIST is a student outreach effort to encourage students to enjoy a healthy lifestyle consisting of a balanced nutritional intake and a rigorous exercise regime.” Professor Kim, responsible for overseeing the Active KAIST campaign, received his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctor’s degrees in physical education in 1998, 2000, and 2005, respectively. He joined the KAIST Department of Humanities and Social Sciences faculty in June 2010.

The Lyu Keun-Chul Sports Complex, which hosts Active KAIST, offers students and faculty a variety of programs and installations. It is named after the late Doctor Lyu Keun-Chul, who was Korea’s premier oriental practitioner and KAIST professor. He was famous for donating large sums of real estate to KAIST, valued at 57.8 billion Korean Won - the largest single donation in Korea to date.